KEWB Anthem

[radioman148]

Thanks for the jingles link. Very nice.

And you can hear 2 of those jingles at this link: http://www.colorradio.com/color_radio_history.htm.

The Bay Area Radio Museum has a number of relevant KEWB airchecks (Thank you Boss Radio DJ), including the Real Don Steele (pre-KHJ), and KO Beachin, who was also Bob Elliot, and KO Bayley at KFRC:

http://www.bayarearadio.org/pages/stations.shtml#KEWB

reelradio.com ($12 yearly fee) has a slew of KFWB airchecks:


Bill Ballance, KFWB Los Angeles, August 18 1959
Bill Ballance, KFWB Los Angeles, May 12 1962
Larry McCormick, KFWB Los Angeles March 13 1965
Lohman and Barkley, KFWB Flight 98, March 3, 1968
Gene Weed, KFWB Los Angeles November 23 1958
Bill Ballance, KFWB Los Angeles March 1960
Gene Weed, KFWB Los Angeles 1962
Lohman and Barkley Phoners, KFWB Los Angeles 1967
Lohman and Barkley KFWB Los Angeles January 1968
Lohman and Barkley KFWB Los Angeles February 29 1968
Elliot Field KFWB Glory Years, KMET 1972
Bob Hudson, KFWB Los Angeles January 1968
Joe Yocam, Gene Weed, KFWB 1968
Emperor Bob Hudson, KFWB Los Angeles 1967
B. Mitchel Reed, KFWB Los Angeles, December 1965
Don MacKinnon, KFWB Los Angeles, CA. 1965
Elliot Field, KFWB Los Angeles, 1959
KFWB Custom Funky Jingles, 1967
Gene Weed, KFWB Los Angeles, 1968
Rebel Foster, KFWB Los Angeles, January 21 1966
B. Mitchel Reed, KFWB Los Angeles, 1967
Wink Martindale, KFWB Los Angeles June 1965
Joe Yocam, KFWB Los Angeles, 1962
Gary Owens, KFWB Los Angeles 1962
Bill Ballance, KFWB, 1961
Jackson King, KFWB Newscast, 1962

Finally, for another "feeling old" moment, I'll note again that KEWB are now the call letters of CHR Rhythmic station "Power 94" in the great metropolis of Redding, CA.

http://www.power94radio.com/

Thanks now I really feel old!

 

[BossRadioDJ]

I have an aircheck of Casey Kasem's "Casey At The Mike" program from the Fall of '61 and am listening to it now to see if the anthem was played.

With many thanks to landtuna, the "Casey At The Mike" program is now online at:

http://www.kewbchannel91.com/#1962

I dated it to October 2, 1962, based on the Giants-Dodgers playoff game score.

If you're familiar with Casey Kasem from the American Top 40 days, then this is truly a landmark aircheck -- one of the greatest disc jockeys in the history of broadcasting in ascent. You'll instantly recognize that one-of-a-kind voice, and his casual but compelling style.

 

[DavidKaye]

I have an aircheck of Casey Kasem's "Casey At The Mike" program from the Fall of '61 and am listening to it now to see if the anthem was played.

With many thanks to landtuna, the "Casey At The Mike" program is now online at:

http://www.kewbchannel91.com/#1962

I dated it to October 2, 1962, based on the Giants-Dodgers playoff game score.

If you're familiar with Casey Kasem from the American Top 40 days, then this is truly a landmark aircheck -- one of the greatest disc jockeys in the history of broadcasting in ascent. You'll instantly recognize that one-of-a-kind voice, and his casual but compelling style.

Oh...my...I had no idea Danny Kaye (no relation) did a song about the Giants! This is great stuff. One thing I notice is that Casey and the other DJs talk after the jingles when prudence dictates that a jingle should segue right into a song. Also, it's remarkable how non-rock KEWB is at the time. This is not how I remembered KEWB at all. Also, the Fabulous Forty seems to have lots of songs that were never heard from again. This is typical of Top 40, but I'm surprised at how many songs didn't make it past their first shot out the door.

Good stuff!

 

[radioman148]

Great aircheck and also a great playoff series.
BTW: Giants should have won that World Series over the Yankees.

 

[landtuna]

Also, the Fabulous Forty seems to have lots of songs that were never heard from again. This is typical of Top 40, but I'm surprised at how many songs didn't make it past their first shot out the door.

If you're talking about this particular aircheck I think I understood it to be some sort of call-in popularity ranking rather than a chart representation.

 

[DavidKaye]

Also, the Fabulous Forty seems to have lots of songs that were never heard from again. This is typical of Top 40, but I'm surprised at how many songs didn't make it past their first shot out the door.

If you're talking about this particular aircheck I think I understood it to be some sort of call-in popularity ranking rather than a chart representation.

Yes, but I'm thinking of KEWBs playlist overall.

 

[landtuna]

If BossDJ's got the correct date then I would have been 17 years old the evening I made that recording. And I would have been on leave after just having completed USN boot camp in San Diego.

All those years ago? I'm lucky I can remember my name let alone the KEWB playlist. :

 

[BossRadioDJ]

One thing I notice is that Casey and the other DJs talk after the jingles when prudence dictates that a jingle should segue right into a song. Also, it's remarkable how non-rock KEWB is at the time.

I'm wondering if this is an indication of "Blore Format" rather than "Drake Format." Blore had been evolving Top 40 radio from the original Storz concept ... and, meanwhile, across the Bay in San Francisco, you can be certain that KYA PD Bill Drake was listening to KEWB every chance he'd get, further refining the concept until -- less than three years hence -- he'd unleash it in its most perfect form yet at 93/KHJ in Los Angeles.

Also note the "non-hit" versions of songs, such as Buddy Greco's "Mister Lonely," which leads off the recording. Today, nobody remembers that Buddy did a version, because the Bobby Vinton version is considered the standard.*

________
* -- Among those of us over the age of 79 who remember the song at all...

 

[landtuna]

Also note the "non-hit" versions of songs, such as Buddy Greco's "Mister Lonely," which leads off the recording. Today, nobody remembers that Buddy did a version, because the Bobby Vinton version is considered the standard.*

________
* -- Among those of us over the age of 79 who remember the song at all...

Actually, I remember The Fleetwoods version and not Vinton's. But then I'm not 79 quite yet.

 

[barman]

The Casey check is really clean. I have another "Casey at the Mike" aricheck, significantly more uptempo but of lesser quality, that came on a CD in the back of a book. I believe he had just arrived from WKBW Buffalo (?) then. He sounds more like the KRLA/American Top 40 Casey here.

"Mr. Lonely" by Buddy Greco(!) I didn't even know about it, but it appears to have been released just over 2-years prior to famous Bobby Vinton version (both of which were released on Epic). The instrumental backing sounds almost identical; I wonder if they used Greco's backing at the session in order to save money? It appears to have been tracked at Vinton's first session, and he had zero track record at that time.

 

[skyrocker]

Wow, one of my favorites! I remember hearing that on KEWB, thinking the name of the song was, "Discovery Of The Day," by Hank Levine - because that's the way the DJ introduced it. Took me nearly a week to figure out the song was the station's "Disc-Covery," and that its name was "Image." Thanks for the memories, you guys.

 

[BossRadioDJ]

I have another "Casey at the Mike" aricheck, significantly more uptempo but of lesser quality, that came on a CD in the back of a book. I believe he had just arrived from WKBW Buffalo (?) then. He sounds more like the KRLA/American Top 40 Casey here.

That would be the CD that came with Ben Fong-Torres' great "The Hits Just Keep On Coming." It includes The Caser at WBNY/Buffalo (1960) and KEWB (1962).

Our hero Skyrocker contributed mightily to the "Hits" CD, upon which he is also well represented (at both KHJ and KFRC).

If you ain't got a copy but would love to have one in your collection, I know a swell radio museum that'll send you one (or more -- hey, Christmas is only 240 days away!) in exchange for a small contribution:

http://www.bayarearadio.org/ben/

 

[oaktree]

Thank you, Barman, for the YouTube find of that wonderful KEWB Anthem (Image) song by Hank Levine. They just don't make 'em like that anymore.

As in all of Chuck Blore's work, listen to the arrangement and you'll hear the trademark "lifts" of various jingles that were the basis for the Johnny Mann vocals that became "Color Radio" before Johnny did the WMCA and, later, the Drake series jingles. (He only changed one note of the WMCA sig/logo that four years later became among the best known jingle logos of all time ... even today.)

The famous WCFL series that Blore did also contain long "song" type elements that were later editted to make wonderful jingles, right down to the acapellas, which were pretty "new" in jingles back in the day. Anita Kerr did the same, using "songs" as foundations that would become a "grid" for jingle edits ... a practice later picked up by the Dallas jingle houses, as well.

Great memories ... and thanks, again, for finding and sharing that track. A great piece of "image" music. I can hear a lot of the pre-voiced images from that cut right now.

 

[oaktree]

Here is the 1965 version of "Image" by Alan Haver ...

It became a #45 hit in Great Britain. One can bet the BBC didn't play it, however, as Radio Caroline used this extensively.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRsIfbK1PJg&NR=1

It was also on a UK TV show called "Nite Caller".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jOis2GuKUk&feature=related

 

[SFStatic]

Worked with a guy who got deported when he went ashore from Radio Caroline. He also did a hitch at CKLW, and a little time in the jug later in life for impersonating a doctor.

The Beeb was not amused by all this pirate rock n' roll, but the Brit kids loved it. They also used a PAMS jingle package. I can't remember the series anymore.

 

[DavidKaye]

As in all of Chuck Blore's work, listen to the arrangement and you'll hear the trademark "lifts" of various jingles that were the basis for the Johnny Mann vocals that became "Color Radio" before Johnny did the WMCA and, later, the Drake series jingles. (He only changed one note of the WMCA sig/logo that four years later became among the best known jingle logos of all time ... even today.)

I'm very confused. This web page states that the jingles up to 1963 were Chuck Blore's, but they violate his idea that the jingle always has to return to the same call letter signature. It appears that no two sing WMCA or 57 the same way! http://www.musicradio77.com/wmca/jingles.html

Meanwhile, the jingles credited to Johnny Mann do indeed begin to show a WMCA signature. All in all, all three jingles packages on the web page seem really stodgy to me. It's hard to believe that WMCA was a popular station with jingles as poor as those. Well, that's my take anyway.

 

[oaktree]

Having been in the jingle game, there are many stories about how those "songs between the songs" came about.

One of my favorites comes about the famous KMPC, LA logo for even before Gene Autry and Golden West. My understanding of the story, compliments of the late Marv Shaw who I had the pleasure of working with after he left PAMS in Dallas was that a talented jingle writer by the name of Euell Boxx came up with the logo that was sung for years by the Anita Kerr Singers ... while visiting with his then very young granddaughter.

The story goes that the youngster was petting her puppy and singing in her five year old voice, "My Dog Has Fleas ..."

Mr. Boxx imediately began to hum it ... went to his piano and out came the identical chord structure of "Kay ... Em ... Pee ... Ceeee."

The story was also confirmed by the late Dee Barton (who scored "Play Misty for Me" and other films, including one or two others for Clint Eastwood.)

And the "single note" change on the WMCA jingles is factual. It went on to be rewritten and arranged by Johnny Mann and turned into the basis for the famous "93 K-H-J" and "6-10 K-F-R-C" jingles after they were done as "KYNO Number One" in Fresno.

 

[radiocph]

As far as I know, KFWB still uses that musical signature, and it was still being sung as "K-F-W-B, News 98" up until a few years ago when they changed to the frequentially correct "980."

Last time I was in Vancouver, BC (2003), all-news CKWX was using a the same jingle as KFWB in LA...

"C-K-Double-U-X ... news eleven-thirty!"

That song's got *legs*, I tell ya....

 

[LKellerIII]

As far as I know, KFWB still uses that musical signature, and it was still being sung as "K-F-W-B, News 98" up until a few years ago when they changed to the frequentially correct "980."

Last time I was in Vancouver, BC (2003), all-news CKWX was using a the same jingle as KFWB in LA...

"C-K-Double-U-X ... news eleven-thirty!"

That song's got *legs*, I tell ya....

Stream KFWB online for awhile if you want some news mixed with jingle nostalgia. The last 5 notes ("Channel 98") have been altered to fit "News 980", but the first 6 notes ("KFWB") are used constantly in a variety of musical signatures and beds for traffic, weather, etc.

Having been in the jingle game, there are many stories about how those "songs between the songs" came about.

One of my favorites comes about the famous KMPC, LA logo for even before Gene Autry and Golden West. My understanding of the story, compliments of the late Marv Shaw who I had the pleasure of working with after he left PAMS in Dallas was that a talented jingle writer by the name of Euell Boxx came up with the logo that was sung for years by the Anita Kerr Singers ... while visiting with his then very young granddaughter.

The story goes that the youngster was petting her puppy and singing in her five year old voice, "My Dog Has Fleas ..."

Mr. Boxx imediately began to hum it ... went to his piano and out came the identical chord structure of "Kay ... Em ... Pee ... Ceeee."

The story was also confirmed by the late Dee Barton (who scored "Play Misty for Me" and other films, including one or two others for Clint Eastwood.)

And the "single note" change on the WMCA jingles is factual. It went on to be rewritten and arranged by Johnny Mann and turned into the basis for the famous "93 K-H-J" and "6-10 K-F-R-C" jingles after they were done as "KYNO Number One" in Fresno.

I remember the KMPC jingles well. KMPC was my parents' station, not mine, though I often made an exception for Gary Owen's show in afternoon drive - the man was (is!) seriously off-the-wall hilarious...speaking of KEWB:

http://www.bayarearadio.org/audio/kewb/

I have no idea what copyright laws (if any) can be applied to jingles - perhaps radio stations never copyrighted these tunes, because you'll hear them again over the years. The tune for KMPC turned up as "K-A-B-L" for the last few years of that station.

If you ever visited New York in the 60s or 70s, you'll know the famous 77 WABC jingle - the notes for "77" borrowed from the song "Manhattan"...necessary royalties paid in that case, I'm sure. The tune was used by a Southern California Top 40 station in the 70s (1190-KEZY) that was not owned by ABC. Later, KEZY dropped that, and swiped the distinctive 4 note tune from KCBQ (San Diego).

 

[SFStatic]

The jingle companies copyrighted their packages. Never heard if they paid anyone for the rights to any 4 notes. If the pattern of notes wasn't from a previously copyrighted song, probably not. (Although there is the infamous Chiffons "He's So Fine"/ George Harrison "My Sweet Lord" suit, which Harrison lost for stealing the notes. A truly idiotic outcome. George must have been a terrible witness, because Michael Jackson won a number of these suits. In most Western music (not C&W, but as differentiated from Eastern pentatonic music), there are primarily 3 chords used in the 12 tone scale, so obviously songs will have similar repeated patterns.