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Anyone else old enough to remeber this?

J

jeffdfw

I had no idea she was killed in a car wreck in 2002...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qO18k215gpk

From Wiki:

Meri Wilson (15 June 1949 - 28 December 2002) was an American popular music singer, specializing in double entendre novelty songs.

In the 1970s she moved to Dallas, Texas and worked as a singer and model. She achieved sudden fame in the summer of 1977 after she recorded a song titled "Telephone Man", which was filled with suggestive lyrics and her breathy squealing voice. The song became a surprise hit single, climbing the UK Singles Chart to Number 6, spending ten weeks in the listings, as well as making it to #18 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. In addition, the song would become a favorite of Dr. Demento's radio show many years later.
 
Yeah, I remember that joint. Had no idea she had passed. R.I.P.
 
"Telephone Man" got a fair amount of airplay on KVIL at the time. Don't remember it showing up on any of the other similarly formatted stations in DFW.
 
Correct me if I am wrong but I think KXOL 1360 played it as well. I think they even had their own version where she said "1360 KXOL" at the end of the song but I could be wrong. I am sure Mr. Shannon could provide some insight...
 
Yeah, I had read about Meri back when it happened. She was the director of elementary education for the state of Georgia, or something like that, after her one-hit wonder era. I believe the guys from Bloodrock produced the song (at least Jim Rutledge did.) Pretty racy stuff, but fit VERY well in the double-entendre, test-the-limits era of the late 70s.

I do recall KNUS playing it, and I'd bet you'd only hear it on KVIL during Selden's show. I would guess KLIF-1190 played it, too, as they were trying desperately to stay edgy and relevant as the demand for music on AM was slipping away quickly in 1977. I don't remember Z-97, Mellow 102.9, K-Mac, KDNT, K-FM or KFWD ever playing it, tho.

KXOL was country starting in the summer of 1976, but the song could easily have crossed over from pop to country. John Lewis of www.kxol1360.com would be the best one to ask.

My grandfather retired after 30 years with Continental Telephone, so I gave him the name "Telephone Man" as his CB handle because of the song. OK, so I was 12 yrs old at the time, it WAS 1977, and he didn't have a clue about CB radios. He also didn't know the lyrics to the song, thank goodness. : )
 
been itchin' to add Telephone Man to the KEOM playlist....but I love my job too much. Great song though (you can get it with a ding-a-ling).....hadn't heard about Mary.

My favorite Novelty from that time was Junk Food Junkie!
 
DFWPT said:
My favorite Novelty from that time was Junk Food Junkie!
Click to expand...
Larry Groce, who did "Junkie," lives somewhere close by. He was based in Dallas when the song was new, and I read a few years ago in a little NE Texas newspaper that he appeared at a local nursing home there to perform. Coincidence that one of the elderly ladies on the list of people who enjoyed the concert was also named "Groce"! Mom or grandma, I'd assume.

ken barnett said:
Actually, Mike, we played it in ALL dayparts back then.
Click to expand...
Thanks, Ken...I stand corrected!
 
Larry Groce did children's songs at one time. Someone gave us a cassette of some of these children's song as a gift when our kids were younger. Listening to it, I kept thinking to myself, dang that guy sounds like the "Junk Food Junkie" guy...took the tape out and in small print, yep, there was the name of Larry Groce! Did not remember him being from around here...I just remember Chapman played that song a lot too.
 
MikeShannon914 said:
Yeah, I had read about Meri back when it happened. She was the director of elementary education for the state of Georgia, or something like that, after her one-hit wonder era. I believe the guys from Bloodrock produced the song (at least Jim Rutledge did.) Pretty racy stuff, but fit VERY well in the double-entendre, test-the-limits era of the late 70s.

I do recall KNUS playing it, and I'd bet you'd only hear it on KVIL during Selden's show. I would guess KLIF-1190 played it, too, as they were trying desperately to stay edgy and relevant as the demand for music on AM was slipping away quickly in 1977. I don't remember Z-97, Mellow 102.9, K-Mac, KDNT, K-FM or KFWD ever playing it, tho.

KXOL was country starting in the summer of 1976, but the song could easily have crossed over from pop to country. John Lewis of www.kxol1360.com would be the best one to ask.

My grandfather retired after 30 years with Continental Telephone, so I gave him the name "Telephone Man" as his CB handle because of the song. OK, so I was 12 yrs old at the time, it WAS 1977, and he didn't have a clue about CB radios. He also didn't know the lyrics to the song, thank goodness. : )
Click to expand...

You are correct Mike, KLIF played it. I remember playing it on my 10-2 night show on Big KLIF in BIG D 1977. I think KLIF played it in most dayparts too. When I did mornings for ABC RADIO NETWORKS Country Coast to Coast one of our affiliates was in Meri's home town in Georgia. She heard me play it one morning and called me and we became good friends after that. Was totally shocked when she was killed in a car accident. Beautiful Woman and a decent singing voice.
 
Larry Groce has been host of the Mountain Stage radio show from West Virginia since 1986. This show is heard nationwide on public radio stations except for the Dallas market, even though he is a Dallas native.

Wayne G. aka radiowayne
 
In 1977 the music director Of KNTU was a neighbor of Miss Wilson and brougt over the demo of telephone man. The station played it two months before anyone in DFW picked it up.
 
In July 1977, three high school radio students managed to get an impromptu tour of WIBC-WNAP Indianapolis (sister to KVIL) by the late Chuck Riley (before he was a voice-over legend).

WIBC never played 45s, but Chuck Riley did that day as "Telephone Man" made its WIBC debut while we were in the studio. I don't think it was replayed much if any on MOR WIBC, but Top40 AMs WIFE & WNDE played it alot.

Second DFW tie-in so this is still on-topic for this board was that Bob Lamey (from TCU) who was then Indianapolis Racers hockey announcer and now the Colts announcer was sportscaster for our in studio visit.
 
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