Music's Special Place

[John FL]

Happy Holidays!

A long held tradition of mine is to post a specialty subject right after Thanksgiving. The inspiration I get to come up with these ramblings can come from anywhere. It could be shopping at Publix, reading about a famous radio personality. You name it. Most have been rooted in the past and this year's offering is no exception.

Up until recently, I had no idea what I'd be talking about. It was possible to wish everyone a happy holiday season and call it a day. But I heard from someone who took care of my mom when she was in assisted living. She let me know she was retiring. She especially enjoyed interacting with my mom. We got on the subject of cognitive issues of which my mom suffered. One of the keys in reaching senior residents is through music.

I learned of this many years ago as well when my Grandmother was in a nursing home 25 or so years ago. It is through music that the shiest residents open up and socialize. It is through music that they speak of past events and love. It is through music that they recall the happiest times of their lives. When you think about it, music does indeed play a big role in life.

In these radio boards, the most heated discussions often involve music. Therein lies the great conflict between the business of radio and the fact that people no longer fit the station's target audience. Their favorite music begins to disappear. They wonder what gives. They go elsewhere, even if it's playing their own stash of music on a radio alternative.

I came to spend a good deal of time in senior facilities including visiting residents in their rooms. You know what I never saw? A radio. A simple radio. Virtually every senior home invests in entertainment. I've experienced some good acts. There's music, dancing, comedy. And a lot of this stimulates their minds which is a good thing. For those who had a career in broadcasting, it's another source of revenue, especially in retirement years. I met quite a few radio people from "up north" who were virtually all downsized at one time or another. Some senior residences pay some decent money for entertainment.

I realized some time ago, there are two kinds of radio people. That's upcoming. What this string will also do is look at music from the Big Band era to the 80s. You know, there will be a time that some of these guys who entertain will be singing Bon Jovi songs. Perhaps the senior ladies of the future will recall fondly the big poster they had in their room. Over the years, I've heard many 40 - 50 somethings talk about that.

Before getting to that and there's a lot to get to include many of Top 25 countdowns, I recently found out that there are artifacts that go back over 40,000 years ago that could best be described as musical instruments such as flutes. It's no doubt, human beings love their music. You can just imagine when two metal pieces hit each other in the breeze and there was something beautiful created. Yes, we've always loved our music.

And so, with inspiration from all I've learned in the nursing home industry to what my marketing career taught me about people and their likes and tastes, I thought it was time to discuss music over an expansive period of time.

Upcoming, I'd like to talk about the two type of radio people I've met. This subject is off the ground. My fingers are crossed, you will get a kick out of it and perhaps learn some things about music you know little or nothing about.

 

[John FL]

I think most would agree that radio broadcasters are entertainers. It's long been that way although the style and amount of rap time has changed considerably over the years. What I found interesting was some of the biggest names in radio broadcasting admitted to being introverts.

Put them in a studio and that one-on-one relationship with the audience and that connection is made. Dan Ingram, whom I'm sure many of you know, sounded like he would be the life of the party kind of guy. He wasn't. He often admitted being happiest in small gatherings and his on-air life where it was just an engineer and himself in the studio. His voicework was like that as well. No large crowds, just a few people.

Dan's colleague, Cousin Brucie Morrow was the one WABC sent out to emcee various shows and promotions. Brucie thrived in that kind of environment. It doesn't make one jock more talented or valuable then the other. It's just what makes them tick. And so they utilized in a way that makes sense.

Many of the people who provide entertainment to the elderly are extroverts. They have to be and they explained to me why that is. They literally need to pull people out of their shell. So they interact with them in a way that makes them feel good. They also have to have patience in knowing there are memory issues. But they succeed in getting the folks to have a good time. That's what entertainment is all about no matter the audience.

My opinion about most radio broadcasters is that they tend to be introverts. Many of the people I talked to who once worked radio and now do the "senior circuit" tended to agree. Today's radio environment would seem to fit in more with an introvert. There's VT work where your home studio is your workplace. You don't have to mingle with anyone. No water-cooler moments for sure.

That same home studio can also be the place to do voice acting work as well. On the flip side, there's jocks that do mobile DJ work. They entertain at parties and functions, even weddings. Some are quite good and they earn solid recommendations. They are the extroverts and that type of work would certainly require that. The best mobile DJs are the ones who get everybody up dancing and laughing and having fun.

When my job transferred me to Jacksonville in the late 90s, I had several occasions where I met a radio guy named Tony Mann. Never in my life did I see anyone enjoy the moment and the music like him. At that time, he was M.D. at the legendary CHR WAPE-FM. What a perfect job for him I thought. The last time I saw him was in 2011 when he jocked a 1 year anniversary party for an iHeart classic hits station that would never celebrate a second year.

The party was on the dull side when the soundtrack of the station played. But when he started playing certain classic hits songs and talked them up, everyone was on their feet. A shame management didn't see that. They never bothered attending.

I often wonder just how many programmers and MDs REALLY love the music. There's a lot of data and analytics in radio. But just like that line in "Dirty Dancing,"Feel the music." Perhaps not enough do. What the true answer is anyone's guess.

Our next stop is the 1940s. I saw a few great renditions performed by those who entertain seniors. Not too many of them left. It is said the most beloved music and rememered music is heard when we are in our 20s. That audience would be those born in the 20s and perhaps 30s. An interesting decade of music and one mostly forgotten today.

 

[gr8oldies]

I think most would agree that radio broadcasters are entertainers. It's long been that way although the style and amount of rap time has changed considerably over the years. What I found interesting was some of the biggest names in radio broadcasting admitted to being introverts.

Put them in a studio and that one-on-one relationship with the audience and that connection is made. Dan Ingram, whom I'm sure many of you know, sounded like he would be the life of the party kind of guy. He wasn't. He often admitted being happiest in small gatherings and his on-air life where it was just an engineer and himself in the studio. His voicework was like that as well. No large crowds, just a few people.

Dan's colleague, Cousin Brucie Morrow was the one WABC sent out to emcee various shows and promotions. Brucie thrived in that kind of environment. It doesn't make one jock more talented or valuable then the other. It's just what makes them tick. And so they utilized in a way that makes sense.

Many of the people who provide entertainment to the elderly are extroverts. They have to be and they explained to me why that is. They literally need to pull people out of their shell. So they interact with them in a way that makes them feel good. They also have to have patience in knowing there are memory issues. But they succeed in getting the folks to have a good time. That's what entertainment is all about no matter the audience.

My opinion about most radio broadcasters is that they tend to be introverts. Many of the people I talked to who once worked radio and now do the "senior circuit" tended to agree. Today's radio environment would seem to fit in more with an introvert. There's VT work where your home studio is your workplace. You don't have to mingle with anyone. No water-cooler moments for sure.

That same home studio can also be the place to do voice acting work as well. On the flip side, there's jocks that do mobile DJ work. They entertain at parties and functions, even weddings. Some are quite good and they earn solid recommendations. They are the extroverts and that type of work would certainly require that. The best mobile DJs are the ones who get everybody up dancing and laughing and having fun.

When my job transferred me to Jacksonville in the late 90s, I had several occasions where I met a radio guy named Tony Mann. Never in my life did I see anyone enjoy the moment and the music like him. At that time, he was M.D. at the legendary CHR WAPE-FM. What a perfect job for him I thought. The last time I saw him was in 2011 when he jocked a 1 year anniversary party for an iHeart classic hits station that would never celebrate a second year.

The party was on the dull side when the soundtrack of the station played. But when he started playing certain classic hits songs and talked them up, everyone was on their feet. A shame management didn't see that. They never bothered attending.

I often wonder just how many programmers and MDs REALLY love the music. There's a lot of data and analytics in radio. But just like that line in "Dirty Dancing,"Feel the music." Perhaps not enough do. What the true answer is anyone's guess.

Our next stop is the 1940s. I saw a few great renditions performed by those who entertain seniors. Not too many of them left. It is said the most beloved music and rememered music is heard when we are in our 20s. That audience would be those born in the 20s and perhaps 30s. An interesting decade of music and one mostly forgotten today.

Just some very quick observations. I remember being parked outside one of the nursing homes and hearing a Part 15 "Comfort Radio", with a mix of Big Band music, old-time radio dramas and medical information. I don't believe it was in-house produced. One of the other facilities had a closed-circuit TV channel that the residents programmed (I applied to be volunteer director).

I do remember when I still lived in Ohio, seeing a news story about the Chippendales, in town for shows, going to a nursing home (fully dressed in tuxes) and dancing with the residents who were able.

A lot of entertainers are severe introverts. I can say the little bit of mobile DJ work i did, I hated.

 

[vw86]

My opinion about most radio broadcasters is that they tend to be introverts. Many of the people I talked to who once worked radio and now do the "senior circuit" tended to agree. Today's radio environment would seem to fit in more with an introvert. There's VT work where your home studio is your workplace. You don't have to mingle with anyone. No water-cooler moments for sure.

A lot of great conversation and thought starters for sure. While this is 100% true as far as they actual jock work and voiceover work, I also feel like it may be a disadvantage at the same time. With everyone wearing multiple hats now, jocks may also be doubling as sales reps or doing other work now that would require them to at least have extroverted tendencies.

That said, I can 100% relate to this. When I was a jock I didn't even like others knowing I was on the radio because I was/am so shy at times. I hated having people I knew knowing I had this big personality on the air.

 

[TheBigA]

Dan's colleague, Cousin Brucie Morrow was the one WABC sent out to emcee various shows and promotions. Brucie thrived in that kind of environment. It doesn't make one jock more talented or valuable then the other. It's just what makes them tick.

Not sure about that. Not all work done by radio DJ is assigned by the radio station. Bruce had his own manager who got him hosting gigs and his own short-lived weekly TV show. This was fairly common back in the day. Radio people didn't make a lot of money, so they were looking for other ways to make money. Tom Donohue was a DJ at KOA in San Francisco during the 60s, but he also promoted the final Beatles concert in Candlestick Park. Even today, all appearances by DJs are covered by their personal contracts. It's not based on their personality.

 

[John FL]

Not sure about that. Not all work done by radio DJ is assigned by the radio station. Bruce had his own manager who got him hosting gigs and his own short-lived weekly TV show. This was fairly common back in the day. Radio people didn't make a lot of money, so they were looking for other ways to make money. Tom Donohue was a DJ at KOA in San Francisco during the 60s, but he also promoted the final Beatles concert in Candlestick Park. Even today, all appearances by DJs are covered by their personal contracts. It's not based on their personality.

All valid points. I recall PD Rick Sklar writing in his memoir that he utilized Bruce more than anyone even flying him to sites via helicopter. Rick was also good at leaving certain details out such as Bruce's manager.
I can also understand contractual agreements. But something tells me it has to be something the talent enjoys doing.

 

[John FL]

All of us probably learn of an era prior to our birth through history taught in school and through accounts by family. What I heard from family was a completely different perspective than what I learned in school. Textbook history will often be more about facts and events. My family concentrated more on the human side of things.

As this is a Florida board, the population for the entire state in the 1940s was less than what exists in Miami-Dade County today. There was just over 2 million residents statewide. Lots of wide open spaces for sure. You may recall all the movies you may have seen from the 40s and they were virtually all locales from "up north" especially the big cities.

What did surprise me was Sarasota on Florida's Gulf Coast drew a good number of visitors in the 40s. The Lido Casino Hotel was extremely popular. Perhaps it offered a more relaxed alternative to all the "supper clubs" that existed at that time.

Younger generations even today may not be familiar with that term but they have seen them. The comedy of the day with the likes Abbott & Costello, and The Three Stooges would on occasion have a setting at a Supper Club. There were many horror movies featuring Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolfman and others that had a scene or two there. A&C's "Hold That Ghost" from 1941 featured Ted Lewis & The Andrews Sisters. That was the music combo in those days. A bandleader and his band along with the singers.

Supper Clubs were formal affairs. The Big Bands played, the singers sang. It gave this impression of great wealth but that certainly wasn't reality. Live radio broadcasts featured entertainment that one would typically hear at a supper club. So, everyone had the opportunity to experience that sort of thing just by tuning in.

As with every decade, there's the good and the difficult times. The U.S. was recovering from the Great Depression. Many of the Big Bands and singers of the 1940s got their start in the 30s. Entertaining during hard times would have had to give people a lift. And so there was that strong connection to the music.

Glenn Miller was probably the most beloved out of all the Big Band leaders. His passing in 1944 during WW2 was something my parents talked about often. It was a national mourning. When I heard Glenn Miller music played at the nursing home, the residents with obvious and serious cognitive issues, would shout out how sad it was he died. Obviously, the concept of time was lost as they still think of it as a recent event.

Moviefone News was where people got visual news when they'd go to the movies. Otherwise it was the radio and newspapers. President Franklin Roosevelt delivered "fireside chats" about the news and events of the day, especially the war effort. My Grandparents had a portrait of Franklin Roosevelt in their hallway. I heard many stories of how they cried for days with his passing. he was the reassuring voice. That was mostly what existed. TV wasn't big yet so it was that voice on the radio.

My Grandparents also taught me about prejudice. None of this sort of thing was discussed when I went to school. My Grandparents migrated from Italy in the 1910s. They told me how hard it was to find a place to live. There were actually signs that used derogatory language that in no uncertain terms told Italians to get lost.

Despite all the difficulties, there was a true sense of patriotism that existed through the 40s. The Big Bands and the entertainment of the day entertained troops. My dad was once on stage with singer Helen O'Connell during WW2. He talked about that a lot.

It's hard to summarize the impacts the music made on the masses. But as someone who can only speculate, I believe it helped get a lot of people through. We'll look at the music of the 1940s next. It won't be a complete list, it can't be. But rather a glimpse of what was in a very important time for our country and the world.

 

[John FL]

In preparing for this segment, I listened to several hours of music from the 1940s. It was not work at all but pure joy. Some of the songs came into my head easily as my dad sang many of them for decades. Like listening to hits on the radio over and over again, they make impressions! YouTube gives other selections and you have lots of songs at your fingertips.

There were songs that were covered by so many different people and at different times that it was really difficult to be certain what was what. I figured the #1 song would have to be something by The Glenn Miller Orchestra. There's "Moonlight Serenade," an incredible beautiful sound. But to my surprise that song was released in April 1939. So, no go. My personal pick was "In The Mood" but I found a lot of date discrepancy. If it's a true 1940s origination date instead of the late 30s, then considering it a joint #1. Part of the confusion is that song is listed in an album released in 1944 but the song itself is older.

The Big Band sound and the crooners of long ago may seem dated but there's also remakes galore. There's a good number of Christmas tunes we hear today that originated from the 1940s. Michael Bublé has made a good career for himself sounding like he's part of an older era.

For those of you who are curious about some of the titles, I encourage you to give a listen. I believe having knowledge of that time helps with music appreciation in general. I was very fortunate to have been exposed to that kind of music early in my development. It was before my time but it gave me a wider range of music appreciation. Anyway, here's many of my personal favorites from the 1940s.

One last couple things, the #1 song has a + by the release date. It's because that song had multiple releases and it lives on and on. The other is the first two letters of a certain song is capitalized. That's not a typo. More to come!

Rank	Title	Artist	Year
25	That's My Desire	Frankie Laine	1946
24	Stormy Weather	Lena Horne	1943
23	I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire	Ink Spots	1941
22	Don't Sit Under The Apple Tree	Andrews Sisters	1942
21	Till The End of Time	Perry Como	1945
20	PEnnsylvania 6-5000	Glenn Miller Orchestra	1940
19	Sentimental Journey	Doris Day	1944
18	Riders in the Sky (A Cowboy Legend)	Vaughn Monroe	1949
17	Don't Fence Me In	Bing Crosby	1946
16	You are my Sunshine	Jimmie Davis	1940
15	Paper Doll	Mills Brothers	1942
14	Chattanooga Choo Choo	Glenn Miller Orchestra/TEX Beneke & The Modernaires	1941
13	Loverman (Oh Where Can You Be)	Billie Holiday	1945
12	Take The A Train	Duke Ellington	1941
11	Get Your Kicks on Route 66	Nat King Cole	1946
10	I'll Never Smile Again	Frank Sinatra	1940
9	Stardust	Arte Shaw	1940
8	Green Eyes	Helen O'Connell & Bob Eberly	1947
7	I'll Be Seeing You	Bing Crosby	1941
6	God Bless The Child	Billie Holiday	1942
5	You Always Hurt The One You Love	Mills Brothers	1944
4	Auld Lang Syne	Guy Lombardo	1947
3	Swinging On A Star	Bing Crosby	1944
2	Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy	Andrews Sisters	1941
1	White Christmas	Bing Crosby	1942+

 

[John FL]

In 1949, Florida's population was 2.6 million. In 1950, there was a modest gain of under 200,000. For the 1950s decade as a whole, South Florida and the Miami Beach area saw tremendous growth. The biggest issue was the growth of gambling in the area. Miami and Miami Beach catered to tourism, and illegal gambling was a big part of the attraction for tourists. However, with the growth of gambling, there was also the growth of organized crime.

For those of you who are fans of "The Godfather" movie, the Hyman Roth underworld character lived in Miami and it's probably just about the best depiction of what life was like in South Florida back in the day. It was done quite well.

I was born in the 1950s but way too young to remember much today. I wasn't 'hooked on radio" yet and a lot more time was needed. There was family members who did travel to Miami Beach for vacation. We also had one relative who made the move from Brooklyn to the suburbs of New Jersey. In time, that would happen more often and it was typical of the times.

The interstate highway system was created under President Eisenhower. As a result, people would eventually take to the roads like never before. In watching TV shows from that time many years later, most showed a life that didn't exist for many of us. I remember only 2 things from that decade. One was my bedroom was very dark. The next door building was a business and with city life there wasn't much space. I was able to touch the next building without even stretching. The other was the first day of school.

If there was ever a TV show that was more realistic than most it would have to be "I Love Lucy," That show almost didn't happen because there were concerns a Cuban-American lead wouldn't be accepted. Imagine that? The show was tested and the public appeared to love it so the rest is history.

The "Ricardos" lived in a modest one-bedroom New York City apartment. The neighbors who were occasionally featured looked and acted like you'd expect. One, as I recall, had an Italian surname. 'Ricky Ricardo" was a bandleader. He lead the orchestra and sang at The Copa Cabana, a supper club that was a dominant entertainment venue in the 40s and survived into the early 50s.

As the show progressed, less emphasis was placed at "the club" and more on family life, including moving to the suburbs - Connecticut. The Big Band era was a thing of the past. The times were changing. Television was the rage for entertainment. Radio was also undergoing tremendous change. That new rock 'n roll thing was spreading like wildfire.

The "I Love Lucy" series remains popular after all these years. Despite their marital problems, Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball proved to be a formidable team. Desi has been regarded as a TV genius for a whole bunch of reasons. Just my opinion but I believe that series has proven to be far more beloved than the hit music of that time.

Whatever songs I grew to like from that era came as a result of listening to what we would eventually hear in an oldies format. Even there, 1950s rock 'n roll music just didn't float my boat too much. Don't get me wrong. There are songs I enjoy but overall I had far more love for the music the decade prior and three that followed.

We'll get into the 50s music...upcoming.

 

[John FL]

When it came to the oldies format, there were two stations I enjoyed the most. One was WCBS-FM in New York. It would have had to be when I lived in N.J. in the 70s. The other was when I lived in Ft. Lauderdale in the 80s and most of the 90s. That was WMXJ, Magic 102.7. In my opinion, Magic was a far better oldies station then they were classic hits. Perhaps more on that later.

I bring these two stations up to point out how the power of radio can make listener impressions, good or bad. Today, I realize a station such as WCBS-FM has long invested in extensive music research. There's a song that can best be described as power-played way back when. It's "Ling Ting Tong" by the Five Keys from 1955. This is not the original version either. Another group did the song a year earlier but this is the one WCBS-FM featured. Anyway, give a listen.

Radio is a numbers game. It's obvious a lot of people must have liked the song. I didn't care for it and that's how it goes.

On the other hand, I heard a song on WMXJ Magic 102.7 that I took a liking to the very first time I heard it. That station once did a Gold Vault feature where they would play a song not often heard. This song blew me away. It was so unique in its sound. The only thing I don't like about the song is it's too short. It leaves you wanting so much more. Incredible passion and great lyrics. But it's that sound that reminds me of an airport. If you look through the comments, you'll see I wasn't alone in my love of the sound. It's part of "phasing" apparently which I don't quite get. According to one of the posters, it was all quite by accident. Miss Toni Fisher and "The Big Hurt."

I often wonder how many gems like this I've missed. If radio doesn't play it, we probably will have a harder time finding the song. As usual we'll present a Top 25 from the 50s but at this point I'm not sure what direction I will take. May need to sleep on it.

 

[John FL]

I did sleep on how I would approach a top 25 list of favorite songs from the 1950s. It was a nap actually but I thought it simply wasn't fair or representative to go to all the rock 'n roll hits of the mid to late 50s and forget the rest. The list is far from complete. As I started thinking more of the songs my dad would sing around the house, the songs kept popping in my head.

One correction from earlier. I have more than a couple recollections of the 1950s. There is one song on this list this was a phenomenon. It was a song you heard everywhere. My family bought the record and played it non-stop. It turned out to be a #1 song nationally in 1958. The lyrics were totally in Italian. Many covers of that song followed.

It wouldn't be the first time a foreign language tune hit it big. I'm sure the Italian-American community especially felt proud of that tune. In the 1950s, my Grandparents owned their own home as most in my family did.

This list concentrates on a lot of the earlier 1950s but tunes from later that decade are only there because not all radio stations were playing rock 'n roll. These were hits. It wasn't only Elvis. To me, it was the adult-oriented radio stations that proved far more interesting because they weren't so one note. Middle of the road type radio stations were still around. There was a little bit of the pie for everyone. After all, AM was king. For anyone who thought competition was tough by the late 1950s, had no idea how tough competition would become.

Without further ado, here is my Top 25 list of what might be described as the other side of the 1950s. We'll present a Top 25 of all those 50's rock 'n roll favs later. Enjoy! And give a listen. You just might appreciate the music.

25	Sincerely	McGuire Sisters	1955
24	Come On-A-My House	Rosemary Clooney	1951
23	Yellow Rose of Texas	Mitch Miller	1955
22	Little Things Mean a Lot	Kitty Kallen	1954
21	Oh My Papa	Eddie Fisher	1954
20	Tennessee Waltz	Patti Page	1951
19	Moments to Remember	Four Lads	1955
18	Young Love	Tab Hunter	1957
17	Rags to Riches	Tony Bennett	1952
16	How High The Moon	Les Paul & Mary Ford	1951
15	Broken Hearted Melody	Sarah Vaughn	1959
14	Love is a Many Splendored Thing	Four Aces	1955
13	Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes	Perry Como	1952
12	C'est Si Bon	Eartha Kitt	1953
11	Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White	Perez Prado	1955
10	Wheel of Fortune	Kay Starr	1952
9	You You You	Ames Brothers	1953
8	Volare (Nel Blu Dipento Di Blu)	Domenico Modugno	1958
7	Chances Are	Johnny Mathis	1958
6	Young At Heart	Frank Sinatra	1954
5	Que Sera Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be)	Doris Day	1956
4	Doggie In the Window	Patti Page	1953
3	Love Letters In The Sand	Pat Boone	1957
2	That's Amore	Dean Martin	1954
1	Mona Lisa	Nat King Cole	1950

 

[John FL]

A few takeaways from the last post. The Ames Brothers song featured Ed Ames and some of you may be familiar with the classic TV series "Daniel Boone." Ed played Mingo. He's 95 years old and lives in New England. Les Paul & Mary Ford did a radio show in the 50s. It wasn't unusual to see that sort of thing. While I'm not sure if Florida radio did this, but in New York City, for example, WOR-AM had a whole bunch of show biz people on during the day. It proved a successful formula for many years.

For the countdown during the 50s rock 'n roll years, I wanted to be as authentic as possible. I remembered having top 25 year-end surveys from NYC's old WINS-AM. This survey was based on sales figures for rankings. I did make some minor adjustments.

For example, Church Berry's immortal "Johnny B. Goode" was nowhere to be found on the survey because it didn't sell as well as other songs. But that song would most certainly have a dominant place today on any special 50s countdown on the radio. As we all know, chart position of the past doesn't mean as much as it once did.

Usually whenever I do music research, there are some urban legends that are busted along the way. There were a number of songs in the previous survey from the 1955-1959 range that were nothing near rock 'n roll. WINS was a highly successful station in the late 50s and it's obvious they had adult-oriented hits in the mix as well. Doris Day's "Que Sera" is one of many examples. In no way could they be successful just appealing to teens.

No doubt, these were challenging times for contemporary music radio. There were dozens and dozens of so-called hits because there wasn't a lot of inventory for a gold library. It became what we know as Top 40. 40 current hits - doubtful. The Big Band sound that was so prevalent the decade before just couldn't be used. We all know the payola scandals happened in the late 50s. No way am I saying WINS was involved but the pressure to get new potential hit records on the air was probably intense. Maybe that's one aspect of what happened. The early 60s was almost tame musically as a result.

When WABC came along playing the hits in the 1960s, Rick Sklar, the PD, perfected what already existed despite his saying he created all the elements of mass appeal. WINS was actually doing it under very difficult circumstances long before that. Picking the right songs was not easy.

Here's my take along with what WINS had as among the biggest hits of year end. We will enter the 1960s next. Given that was such a complex decade musically, we'll concentrate on 1960-1963 first in our special Top 25 countdown. There's lots of great songs in that era, many of which radio has long forgotten. Stay tuned.

25	16 Candles	The Crests	1959
24	Book Of Love	The Monotones	1958
23	At The Hop	Danny and the Juniors	1958
22	You Send Me	Sam Cooke	1957
21	Hound Dog	Elvis Presley	1956
20	Great Balls Of Fire	Jerry Lee Lewis	1958
19	Tears on my Pillow	Little Anthony & The Imperials	1958
18	Put Your Head on my Shoulder	Paul Anka	1959
17	Blueberry Hill	Fats Domino	1956
16	All I Have To Do Is Dream	Everly Brothers	1958
15	There Goes My Baby	The Drifters	1959
14	That'll Be The Day	Buddy Holly & The Crickets	1957
13	Personality	Lloyd Price	1959
12	Donna	Richie Valens	1959
11	Get A Job	The Silhouettes	1958
10	Mack The Knife	Bobby Darin	1959
9	Rock Around The Clock	Bill Haley & His Comets	1955
8	Don't Be Cruel	Elvis Presley	1956
7	Come Go With Me	Del Vikings	1957
6	All Shook Up	Elvis Presley	1957
5	Little Darlin'	The Diamonds	1957
4	My Prayer	The Platters	1956
3	Heartbreak Hotel	Elvis Presley	1956
2	Johnny B. Goode	Chuck Berry	1958
1	Jailhouse Rock	Elvis Presley	1957

 

[John FL]

As we close the decade of the 50s and enter the 60s, we find Florida grew to the tenth most populated state in the U.S. 1960 also saw a jock who would really always be identified with New York City arrive in Miami. Bruce Morrow's (Cousin Brucie) departure from the aforementioned WINS was the thing of a crime novel.

In an earlier post, I didn't want to infer that WINS was involved with payola. But apparently it was. In Bruce Morrow's book "Cousin Brucie My Life in Rock 'n Roll Radio," he goes through the details of how a lot of people from the jock to the record distributor made a lot of money. "As rock grew and the power of rock to make money, the power of rock to corrupt grew too."

Playlists were not tight as they would eventually be. Some of the jocks had the authority to play their own songs. That in itself was an invitation to corruption. Bruce mentioned in his book that a jock named "Murray The K" got publishing credit for Bobby Darrin's "Splish Splash." Bruce escaped all the corruption (young and not long tenure at the station). In the end, Murray copped a plea, the GM was indicted by a Grand Jury along with 5 jocks. The way it was described "records came into the stations wrapped in cash." That was payola in a nutshell.

Bruce came to Miami's WINZ to work the evening teen slot. At the time there were three rock 'n roll stations. Bruce's competition was Rick Shaw on WQAM and Big Daddy on WMBM. As it goes, Bruce hated life in Miami. He was a "New Yawker" through and through. In less than a year he got out of his contract and headed back to the Big Apple when a new station joined the hit music fray - WABC. He took a chance and he and WABC became very famous. Bruce also explained how cut-throat life was like at WINS.

In the early 60s, and after all the payola scandals, it was like music got very tamed. It was also a time of the girl groups who dominated the charts. This entire list could have been girl groups easily. I remember Rick Shaw, who had a very long and distinguished career in Miami loved the song "End of the World" by Skeeter Davis from 1963. I liked another 1963 song a lot - "Puff The Magic Dragon" by Peter, Paul. and Mary. The list that followers represents the biggest hits of the time (1960-1963) Lots of
personal favorites are missing but hard to do with just 25 songs.

Ironically, the song I designated as #1 was not as big a record seller as the other songs listed. But when you see this song, you'll understand why I chose it given its very long popularity on the radio.

As we get later in time in the 1960s in subsequent posts, I'm thinking the decade's music that has been described as "the greatest wave in creativity" deserves more than one specialized countdown. That's all upcoming. Enjoy this blast from the past!

25	Tossin and Turnin'	Bobby V	1961
24	I Can't Stop Loving You	Ray Charles	1962
23	Blue Velvet	Bobby Vinton	1963
22	Twist and Shout	The Isley Brothers	1962
21	My Boyfriend's Back	The Angels	1963
20	Cathy's Clown	Everly Brothers	1960
19	Do You Love Me	The Contours	1962
18	Sugar Shack	Jimmy Gilmore and the Fireballs	1963
17	Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow	The Shirelles	1961
16	Runaway	Del Shannon	1961
15	Sherry	The Four Seasons	1962
14	Travelin' Man	Ricky Nelson	1961
13	Are You Lonesome Tonight	Elvis Presley	1960
12	I Will Follow Him	Peggy March	1963
11	Blue Moon	The Marcels	1961
10	Hey! Baby	Bruce Channel	1962
9	I'm Sorry	Brenda Lee	1960
8	Duke of Earl	Gene Chandler	1962
7	He's So Fine	The Chiffons	1963
6	The Twist	Chubby Checker	1960
5	Runaway Sue	Dion	1961
4	Big Girls Don't Cry	The Four Seasons	1962
3	Theme from A Summer Place	Percy Faith	1960
2	Be My Baby	The Ronettes	1963
1	Stand By Me	Ben E. King	1961

 

[Alex Browne]

As we close the decade of the 50s and enter the 60s, we find Florida grew to the tenth most populated state in the U.S. 1960 also saw a jock who would really always be identified with New York City arrive in Miami. Bruce Morrow's (Cousin Brucie) departure from the aforementioned WINS was the thing of a crime novel.

In an earlier post, I didn't want to infer that WINS was involved with payola. But apparently it was. In Bruce Morrow's book "Cousin Brucie My Life in Rock 'n Roll Radio," he goes through the details of how a lot of people from the jock to the record distributor made a lot of money. "As rock grew and the power of rock to make money, the power of rock to corrupt grew too."

Playlists were not tight as they would eventually be. Some of the jocks had the authority to play their own songs. That in itself was an invitation to corruption. Bruce mentioned in his book that a jock named "Murray The K" got publishing credit for Bobby Darrin's "Splish Splash." Bruce escaped all the corruption (young and not long tenure at the station). In the end, Murray copped a plea, the GM was indicted by a Grand Jury along with 5 jocks. The way it was described "records came into the stations wrapped in cash." That was payola in a nutshell.

Bruce came to Miami's WINZ to work the evening teen slot. At the time there were three rock 'n roll stations. Bruce's competition was Rick Shaw on WQAM and Big Daddy on WMBM. As it goes, Bruce hated life in Miami. He was a "New Yawker" through and through. In less than a year he got out of his contract and headed back to the Big Apple when a new station joined the hit music fray - WABC. He took a chance and he and WABC became very famous. Bruce also explained how cut-throat life was like at WINS.

In the early 60s, and after all the payola scandals, it was like music got very tamed. It was also a time of the girl groups who dominated the charts. This entire list could have been girl groups easily. I remember Rick Shaw, who had a very long and distinguished career in Miami loved the song "End of the World" by Skeeter Davis from 1963. I liked another 1963 song a lot - "Puff The Magic Dragon" by Peter, Paul. and Mary. The list that followers represents the biggest hits of the time (1960-1963) Lots of
personal favorites are missing but hard to do with just 25 songs.

Ironically, the song I designated as #1 was not as big a record seller as the other songs listed. But when you see this song, you'll understand why I chose it given its very long popularity on the radio.

As we get later in time in the 1960s in subsequent posts, I'm thinking the decade's music that has been described as "the greatest wave in creativity" deserves more than one specialized countdown. That's all upcoming. Enjoy this blast from the past!

25	Tossin and Turnin'	Bobby V	1961
24	I Can't Stop Loving You	Ray Charles	1962
23	Blue Velvet	Bobby Vinton	1963
22	Twist and Shout	The Isley Brothers	1962
21	My Boyfriend's Back	The Angels	1963
20	Cathy's Clown	Everly Brothers	1960
19	Do You Love Me	The Contours	1962
18	Sugar Shack	Jimmy Gilmore and the Fireballs	1963
17	Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow	The Shirelles	1961
16	Runaway	Del Shannon	1961
15	Sherry	The Four Seasons	1962
14	Travelin' Man	Ricky Nelson	1961
13	Are You Lonesome Tonight	Elvis Presley	1960
12	I Will Follow Him	Peggy March	1963
11	Blue Moon	The Marcels	1961
10	Hey! Baby	Bruce Channel	1962
9	I'm Sorry	Brenda Lee	1960
8	Duke of Earl	Gene Chandler	1962
7	He's So Fine	The Chiffons	1963
6	The Twist	Chubby Checker	1960
5	Runaway Sue	Dion	1961
4	Big Girls Don't Cry	The Four Seasons	1962
3	Theme from A Summer Place	Percy Faith	1960
2	Be My Baby	The Ronettes	1963
1	Stand By Me	Ben E. King	1961

These countdowns are great, John. As a big fan of '50s and '60s music, I am especially enjoying the ones from those decades. Forgive me for pointing out two minor errors in this early '60s countdown: #25 was recorded by Bobby Lewis (not Bobby Vee); and #17 is often mistakenly identified as "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow," but in fact the word "Still" is not in the song title (although it is in the lyrics): the song's title is "Will You Love Me Tomorrow." Your choice of "Stand By Me" as #1 is an excellent one; just heard it on the radio the other day, and I'm always amazed at what a great song (and arrangement) it is. I was fortunate to work on a special event to honor Vietnam War Veterans about 10 years ago at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin; Ben E. King was among the performers, he sang "Stand By Me," and brought the house down!

 

[John FL]

These countdowns are great, John. As a big fan of '50s and '60s music, I am especially enjoying the ones from those decades. Forgive me for pointing out two minor errors in this early '60s countdown: #25 was recorded by Bobby Lewis (not Bobby Vee); and #17 is often mistakenly identified as "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow," but in fact the word "Still" is not in the song title (although it is in the lyrics): the song's title is "Will You Love Me Tomorrow." Your choice of "Stand By Me" as #1 is an excellent one; just heard it on the radio the other day, and I'm always amazed at what a great song (and arrangement) it is. I was fortunate to work on a special event to honor Vietnam War Veterans about 10 years ago at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin; Ben E. King was among the performers, he sang "Stand By Me," and brought the house down!

Alex, thank you! At least someone is awake and paying attention. Ben E. King is still around. He's in mid 70s and hopefully that's the new middle age, haha. He's living in New Jersey now. Of course, you and many would know he was a singer with The Drifters, another absolutely fabulous group. "Stand by Me" has more than stood the test of time. Obviously, the public still loves the song!

Yes, Tossin' and Turnin' is Bobby Lewis. Bad eyesight on my part as I was looking at lists from the early 60s. The "Still" error was how the old WABC actually listed the song but still a great catch. Still a great song too. Personally, I love the early 60s music so I'm happy I brought back some more memories. Just listing 25 songs almost seems like an injustice.

As this string moves forward I will be more careful to verify, verify. The radio top selling record lists were not always accurate. This was when they used a typewriter! How much has changed!

 

[John FL]

I've given some serious thought in how to proceed chronologically in time with the music. As I mentioned earlier, music in the 1960s was a phenomenon to say the least. There was the incredible British Invasion and all that great American music to include Motown that filled the airways. My original thinking was to do a Top 25 list of British Invasion and a Top 25 of American music. But this would leave a lot to be desired. I'd have to limit the British Invasion list to perhaps just one or two Beatles songs to give other artists a chance to shine.

In keeping with I've already done, I'm thinking of listing the biggest hits of the day with all the different genres and styles that made that decade so special. 1964-1969 deserves more than a Top 25 list. I'll create a Top 100 list instead. Even with that, not everything can be included but it will give an idea what the biggest hits of the day were and what a lot of hit music radio sounded like as well.

With the payola scandals a thing of the past, the playlists got tighter. While the jocks still programmed their own shows, they had to pick the music that was already approved by management and adhere to guidelines of rotation based on chart position. Obviously, the #1 song of the week was played the most often.

We can't forget that FM radio stations, even in the 1960s, were getting noticed by some of the more serious music fans. That decade saw a lot of violence and change as well. As we've seen in virtually every decade, there's much change from one end of the decade to the other.

In the late 60s, music itself was changing. If you listened closely to the late 60s Sly and the Family Stones' "Higher" you'd hear the lyric "Music's gettin' longer too." There was "Mrs. Robinson" that crossed the 4 minute length. Many songs in the 60s were three minutes long or less. It's how AM was able to get all those commercials in. Play two songs in a row and it was all a 5 minute treat. Perhaps the artists themselves were attracted to FMs less commercialism. Richard Harris' MacArthur Park blew it all up. Over 7 minutes long. The song became a huge hit in 1968. Of course, there was also "Hey Jude." AM Radio had lots of juggling to do back then.

One of the most fascinating things to take a lot at are Top 100 lists. You can see the evolution of music right before your eyes. Old artists go away to make room for a new phenomenon. That's been a constant. Music is just an amazing thing. What the public gravitates too over other songs and artists is something to behold as well. There's quite a lot of songs that I enjoy but the public didn't. And so it goes! Obviously, more to come. We have many more decades ahead of us!

 

[John FL]

Without further ado, here's a Top 100 hit list of the 60s and specifically 1964-1969 as we covered the earlier 60s prior. Nearly 90% of this list represents the songs that were the biggest sellers of the time. I tweaked about 10% to make sure more artist representation was here.

The #1 song I chose only reached the #10 position nationally. Like it or not or burned out with it, it's demonstrated extraordinary staying power and that deserves recognition. I tried to be more careful but mistakes are possible...hopefully no repeats! Enjoy the memories.

100	Good Vibrations	The Beach Boys	1966
99	Ticket to Ride	The Beatles	1965
98	Sunshine Superman	Donovan	1966
97	Sunny	Bobby Hebb	1966
96	Go Now!	The Moody Blues	1965
95	A Summer Song	Chad and Jeremy	1964
94	You Keep Me Hanging on	The Supremes	1966
93	Like a Rolling Stone	Bob Dylan	1965
92	Dawn	The Four Seasons	1964
91	Midnight Confessions	The Grass Roots	1968
90	Get Back	The Beatles	1969
89	I Heard It Through The Grapevine	Marvin Gaye	1969
88	Sunshine of Your Love	Cream	1968
87	A Whiter Shade of Pale	Procol Harem	1967
86	Walk Away Renee	The Left Banke	1966
85	My Guy	Mary Wells	1964
84	Yesterday	The Beatles	1965
83	19th Nervous Breakdown	The Rolling Stones	1966
82	Proud Mary	Creedence Clearwater Revival	1969
81	Reflections	Diana Ross & The Supremes	1967
80	Love Portion No. 9	The Searchers	1965
79	One	Three Dog Night	1969
78	California Dreamin'	The Mamas and the Papas	1966
77	Can't Buy Me Love	The Beatles	1964
76	Red Rubber Ball	The Cyrcle	1966
75	This Diamond Ring	Gary Lewis & The Playboys	1965
74	Do You want to Know a Secret	The Beatles	1964
73	I'm A Believer	The Monkees	1967
72	Jumpin' Jack Flash	The Rolling Stones	1968
71	Touch Me	The Doors	1969
70	Dancing in the Street	Martha and the Vandellas	1964
69	Wild Thing	The Troggs	1966
68	I was Made to Love Her	Stevie Wonder	1967
67	Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)	John Fred and his Playboy Band	1968
66	Game of Love	Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders	1965
65	Windy	The Association	1967
64	Green Tambourine	The Lemon Pipers	1968
63	Everyday People	Sly and the Family Stone	1969
62	96 Tears	? And the Mysterians	1966
61	Stop! In the Name of Love	The Supremes	1965
60	Kind of a Drag	The Buckinghams	1967
59	Mrs. Brown You've Got a Lovely Daughter	Herman's Hermits	1965
58	Under the Boardwalk	The Drifters	1964
57	Born to be Wild	Steppenwolf	1968
56	Build Me up, Buttercup	The Foundations	1969
55	To Sir With Love	Lulu	1967
54	Lightin' Strikes	Lou Christie	1966
53	A Hard Day's Night	The Beatles	1964
52	Come See About Me	The Supremes	1965
51	Crimson and Clover	Tommy James and the Shondelles	1969
50	Summer in the City	The Lovin' Spoonful	1966
49	I Got You (I Feel Good)	James Brown	1965
48	The Sounds of Silence	Simon and Grafunkel	1966
47	Baby Love	The Supremes	1964
46	The House of the Rising Sun	The Animals	1964
45	Hang On Sloopy	The McCoys	1965
44	We Can Work It Out	The Beatles	1966
43	My Cheri Amour	Stevie Wonder	1969
42	You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling	The Righteous Brothers	1965
41	A World Without Love	Peter and Gordon	1964
40	You Really Got Me	The Kinks	1964
39	Monday, Monday	The Mamas and the Papas	1966
38	My Girl	The Temptations	1965
37	I Got You Babe	Sonny & Cher	1965
36	I Only Want To Be With You	Dusty Springfield	1964
35	I Get Around	The Beach Boys	1964
34	Unchained Melody	The Righteous Brothers	1965
33	Penny Lane	The Beatles	1967
32	Lover's Concerto	The Toys	1965
31	Georgie Girl	The Seekers	1967
30	Happy Together	The Turtles	1967
29	Wooly Bully	Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs	1965
28	You Can't Hurry Love	The Supremes	1966
27	Turn! Turn! Turn!	The Byrds	1966
26	1-2-3	Len Berry	1965
25	Honky Tonk Women	The Rolling Stones	1969
24	The Letter	The Box Tops	1967
23	Cherish	The Association	1966
22	Do Wah Diddy Diddy	Manfred Mann	1964
21	Can't Take My Eyes Off You	Frankie Valli	1967
20	Help!	Len Berry	1965
19	Oh, Pretty Woman	Roy Orbison	1964
18	Let's Hang On	The Four Seasons	1965
17	Sugar, Sugar	The Archies	1969
16	Downtown	Petula Clark	1965
15	Chapel of Love	The Dixie Cups	1964
14	Last Train to Clarksville	The Monkees	1966
13	Mrs. Robinson	Simon and Grafunkel	1968
12	Reach Out, I'll Be There	The Four Tops	1966
11	I Want To Hold Your Hand	The Beatles	1964
10	Good Lovin'	The Young Rascals	1966
9	Light My Fire	The Doors	1967
8	Respect	Aretha Franklin	1967
7	Where Did I Love Go	The Supremes	1964
6	Sweet Caroline	Neil Diamond	1969
5	(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction	Rolling Stones	1965
4	(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay	Otis Redding	1968
3	I Can't Help Myself	The Four Tops	1965
2	Hey Jude	The Beatles	1968
1	Brown Eyed Girl	Van Morrison	1967

 

[Alex Browne]

Eagle eyes, again, John. The artists on #20 were The Beatles (unless Len Barry had a version of "Help" I don't recall). And the girl on #31 was named Georgy. Great stuff!

For what it's worth, my #1 song of the '60s didn't make your list: "Nowhere To Run" by Martha & The Vandellas. And I'm bummed by the total absence of any songs by the 5th Dimension and Marvin Gaye.

 

[John FL]

Eagle eyes, again, John. The artists on #20 were The Beatles (unless Len Barry had a version of "Help" I don't recall). And the girl on #31 was named Georgy. Great stuff!

For what it's worth, my #1 song of the '60s didn't make your list: "Nowhere To Run" by Martha & The Vandellas. And I'm bummed by the total absence of any songs by the 5th Dimension and Marvin Gaye.

I realize what happened. While using Excel, I noticed I was experiencing more than the usual problem where cell content was automatically being filled. I caught quite a lot of mistakes but obviously not all of them. Interestingly, I had Marvin Gaye's "Heard it through the Grapevine" on the list. I'm not sure exactly what happened there.

The vast majority of the songs were the biggest sellers of the day. I also had the "Aquarius" song on the list but removed it. The Supremes were more than represented but if I recall I made that switch. The problem with even a 100 song list is you can't get 300 worthy songs into it.

Most of my own favorite songs weren't on this list. Songs like Johnny Rivers' "Poor Side of Town," The Vogues "Five O'Clock World," Percy Sledge's "When a Man Loves a Woman," and Mel Carter's "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me" to name just a few.

Actually, this proves just how much passion some of us have for our favorites of the time. As far as the Beatles go, I actually preferred their "album cuts" even more than the singles. "Rubber Soul" was an album I played over and over and one I still listen to on occasion. "In My Life" is pure magic. Prior to the Beatles' mega success, there was a song that remains as one of my favs called "Till There Was You." Unless you're a serious Beatles fan, it's doubtful this song is known by the masses.

And that's just it. I could have constructed a Top 100 of the songs I especially liked or I could presented one that was more about the biggest sellers of the day and that's what I did. Even with that approach, I couldn't include everything. The #1 song of the entire year, on most hit music stations at the time in 1966 was "The Ballad of the Green Berets." At first, I had it on the list but switched it out. It's also a song that never got the kind of airplay a #1 song would normally get. Maybe that's what swayed me.

I also think the point I was trying to make was over time, it's not the biggest selling records that pass muster. No matter the decade, just because a song was #1 doesn't guarantee airplay today. I've noticed songs that never made the top 10 are played over and over today or in the recent past. And that's how it goes.

Some closing comments about the 50s and 60s to come. Then it's on to the 70s. There's one year, in particular, that will probably get it's own Top 25. It was that good in my view.

 

[John FL]

One little factoid I forget to mention was Pat Boone was born and raised in Jacksonville, Fl. The Classics IV had a few really solid hits in the 60s. They formed in Jacksonville. "Spooky," "Stormy," and "Traces" were their best known offerings. I love them all. Interestingly, they were all one-word titles.

The oldies format eventually got to Jacksonville, although relatively late. I think it was 1990 or so. In my time there, you'd think the Classics IV would have been power-played but that wasn't the case. In fact, if you think about the oldies format of yesteryear, there were many playing the core songs like you see in every format, but there were differences.

Between listening to airchecks and actual on the air listening as my job saw a lot of travel, I couldn't help but notice subtle differences in the format based on the location. And that was a good thing. Back in the day, Miami's WQAM's top songs didn't match a lot of what say a WABC in New York showed as the biggest hits

When Miami's Magic 102.7 was born in the mid 80s, I recognized it as something very special. Featuring music 20-30 years old that had fallen off the radar gave them appeal. I recall good 25-54 numbers but music that wasn't too old yet) that was a give-in. While oldies stations all across the country were Beatles-intensive, Magic went very deep airing everything and more. Joe Johnson was a Beatles devotee and wound up syndicating "Beatle Brunch."

Some stations such as Philadelphia's "Oldies 98," (WOGL) did for a long time "The Fab 4 at 4." Many oldies formats did a Top 5 at 5 which was interesting to say the least. This reflected what Billboard listed as the most popular songs. Jacksonville did that and eventually they got away from being date specific and went with a theme instead.

One day it was about "The Park." I figured I'd be treated to "MacArthur Park." They never played it. Here's another case where despite high original charting, the public is mostly thumbs down. I still love the song but I saw my fair share of negative comments about it on these boards and wound up leaving it off the list.

There's lots of stories we can share about original popularity and never being heard from again.

One more thing about the payola problem radio saw in the late 50s. As much as we may complain about too much control over the music, it's understandable why that happened. One thing I forgot to mention earlier was Rick Sklar who went on to oversee WABC during it's heyday, was the Assistant Program Director at NYC's WINS in the late 50s.

Despite all the indictments that involved many at that station, he remained unscathed. He was a great promoter, especially of himself. But he was honest. He served radio well. I didn't go into all the details about why Cousin Bruce was fired from WINS causing him to seek opportunity in Miami by 1960. But it was a lot underhanded stuff.

Unlike today, there was a time working the night shift, 6-10 or 7-11 was a big deal. It was the teen slot and that daypart got ginormous ratings and along with it notoriety for the jock who hosted that time. It wasn't uncommon to earn huge double-digit shares. One of the jocks who I mentioned earlier wanted that slot that was given to Bruce. And he got it in a back-stabbing way.

Rick Sklar probably saw the talent and potential in Bruce and got him back to New York. It was a late night spot but it was a start. I like to look at that as sometimes good guys do finish first. I've long believed broadcasting to be a noble profession. Nice to see some decency happen.

Enjoy your weekend. I have lots going on as many of us do. We'll get into discussions about radio in the 70s upcoming.