Rock Radio 50 Years Ago ~ JANUARY 1975

Rockin’ the New Year in a Sky Full of Diamonds  

I wish! But like many lyricists, we can take poetic license and turn the night-sky stars into sparkling diamonds to begin 2025 with musical magic.

Welcome to another 50 Years Ago this Month series behind the mic, with Rock Radio DJs and the music they helped make great in “the good ol’ days”! Hopefully, you’ll forgive me for being late with this article—again. After all, it’s tough to concentrate on writing when everyone around is partying! But before we get into it, a word from our sponsor … well, from me …

This is your official “AI” notice for the New Year: The Blast from Your Past site has never and will never (knowingly) be written or assisted, by Artificial Intelligence. It’s just stupid ol’ “I” and I enjoy writing these articles. They soothe my soul. So why would I hand that indulgence over to an artificial, soulless entity that can’t feel pleasure?!

That said, let’s Rock On, into 1975 … 50 Years Ago this Month … 

º JANUARY 1975 Radio News & Muse ♪ 

While Watergate convictions rolled on and Wheel of Fortune debuted on NBC, January 1975 music began to shift toward the right with more Heavy Metal music. We watched the left bounce around to Disco coming up to its peak, and Pop music kept us middlin’ around in relative sanity.

We’re still relaxing in Hawai’i with the January KPOI radio survey, after December’s Holiday frenzy, and find that not much has yet changed in the Top Ten. Even Wolfman Jack is again on the cover! This time in festive spirits to Rock you into the New Year …

January 1: Pioneering Rock Radio DJ, Joey Reynolds, is one of the most recognized East Coast personalities in the biz. He is also one of the most controversial, who, at WKBW/Buffalo, New York, famously rejected the idea of sponsoring The Beatles in their first US concert (1964), the night after their famed Ed Sullivan Show debut. But on this day in 1975, KQV/Pittsburgh hired Joey as program director.

       Um, that didn’t go so well either. He apparently dumped the Top 40 format to broadcast a skewed mix of jumbled music played by irreverent DJs, with inane advertising jingles sprinkled between DJ stunts. Not unexpectedly, Joey was fired by May and later in the year, KQV gave up music altogether, switching to 24-hour news. As we well know, though, Joey is a resilient kinda guy and truly a much-admired broadcaster. You can read a brief story of his 1960s rise behind the mic, in Blast from Your Past’s Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The Swinging Sixties.  [Image: Joey, Bill Gardner & Shotgun Tom Kelly. Three of my fave DJs at a fairly recent CES show in Las Vegas.]

January 6^th: Were you there when the hottest concert ticket in Boston by a band not even on the charts, caused a riot? ‘Tis true—a thousand or so fans got antsy while waiting to buy Led Zeppelin tickets in Boston Garden’s lobby. As usual, rioters’ angry stupidity came at a cost for all Boston fans, when the mayor cancelled the concert.

January 8^th: New York’s Madison Square Garden took advantage of Zeppelin’s canceled tour and booked them for this day—the tickets sold out in a then-record of four hours. The notoriety got “Stairway to Heaven” back on the bottom of San Francisco’s KCBQ January 20^th radio chart for a week.

January 31^st: It didn’t take long for Barry Manilow’s now-iconic love song, “Mandy” to go gold. It debuted on KPOI’s January 3, 1975, chart at #26 and became his first gold single three weeks later. Do you know it started out as a #1 hit on UK Pop charts in 1972, then known as “Brandy,” by Scott English (written by English and Richard Kerr)? With a little arrangement revision and title change, Manilow made it his own and a hit is reborn.

♪ On Your Tinny Transistor Radio ♪  
Where were you bein’ fun and feisty in the New Year 1975? L.A., New York, Hawai’i? Here’s a sample of what and who you were listening to …

“Laughter in the Rain” by Neil Sedaka hit the #1 spot for KHJ/Los Angeles on their January 7^th chart. What was the other side of the country voting to the top? Fighting to keep its #1 status the first week of January, with New York listeners at WABC, is Carl Douglas’s “Kung Fu Fighting.”

But we’re still in Hawai’i for this month, listening to KPOI and asking, “When Will I See You Again”? Sparkly trio, The Three Degrees, finally grabbed the #1 spot on January 3^rd’s “Records of Hawaii” chart. 

KPOI listeners were mainly content with up-and-comers released back in the Fall of 1974, jockeying their faves up the ranks. The Top Ten didn’t change much, with the top tunes hanging on by the edge of their claws, just in a little different order.

And we’re still swayin’ with the palm trees, in sync with Wolfman Jack! He rang in the New Year with a festive cover for KPOI, party hat and all! 

January’s top three tunes, basically shuffled around from December’s chart list (previous chart #s in parentheses): #1) “When Will I See You Again” (3); #2) “Please Mr. Postman” (5); and #3) “Kung Fu Fighting” (1).  

♪ January ’75 Song of Note ♪   
Up for consideration was KPOI’s #5 tune, “Laughter in the Rain” by Neil Sedaka, for its pure happiness shining through the clouds and stormy weather. But looking for something even more fantastically hopeful to start the New Year, January’s Song of Note is … 

       In the beginning of a New Year when anything is possible, can’t you just visualize a trip with “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” (Elton John). Released in November ‘74, it made steady progress up the chart, settling the first week of January at #11 before skipping into the Top Ten.   
       A Lennon/McCartney tune from 1967, it was inspired by Lennon’s son, Julian’s, nursery school drawing for a classmate. Lennon gave a poetic nod to Lewis Carroll’s literary style (Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass) for his creative lyrics.
       Some of you may have noticed the initialized reference of the title to the hallucinogenic drug, LSD. Personally, I had never visualized that allusion, but some people will find an intentional or unintentional double meaning in just about everything. Lennon was appalled and firmly denied that “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” is an acid song. Do you believe him? Jus’ askin’ … 
       Elton John’s version certified Gold on January 29^th, but Elton would rarely-if-ever sing it in a concert after Lennon’s death. Its connection to Lennon was simply too personal. ♪ … Picture yourself in a boat on a river | With tangerine trees and marmalade skies … ♪    

♪ Quirky Band Name Award ♪
As promised in December, I simply could not pass by this farcical opportunity for the quirkiest band name we’ve had in a while … Disco Tex & the Sex-o-Lettes … fronted by a colorful character with dancing babes, wins our first 2025 Quirky Band Name Award.

       In spite of their sexist name—not an oddity in the day—the group from the Bronx was serious about making a name for themselves in the burgeoning Disco era. Bubbling under on KPOI’s “New Music” list, their first hit, “Get Dancin’,” cashed in on the dance craze’s high energy fervor. It stalled at #21 over the next few weeks, followed in April with release of hit number two, "I Wanna Dance Wit' Choo (Doo Dat Dance)," both becoming Disco anthems—even scoring frontman, Monti Rock III (born Joseph Montanez, Jr.) a gig as DJ in the iconic movie, Saturday Night Fever (1977).  
       Despite over-the-top theatrics, and marginal singing talent, Disco Tex & the Sex-o-Lettes’ tunes were bona fide early Disco hits, riding a high that took them through the best of it. But things were sketchy with the group through 1982 when they permanently disbanded. As of last reports, frontman, Rock, is still performing at 82 years young.  

♪ JANUARY 2025 Music Events & More ♪    

Monday ~ January 20^th: Today’s National Disc Jockey Day, and though the official sponsor is noted as Wikipedia, without Radio and the pioneering Rock Radio Disc Jockeys behind the mic, this monthly odyssey wouldn’t exist!  
       An assigned article about Rock & Roll memorabilia inspired two books (a third coming eventually) and this monthly sojourn into Oldies Rock Radio with its dynamic on-air personalities. I am especially appreciative of Disc Jockeys and their contributions to my life “back in the day” (I was a frequent winner of station giveaways!) and current lifestyle of music and fun. 
       Interviewing more than forty DJs for my books was not only essential, but extremely entertaining. Cousin Brucie/NY, Shotgun Tom Kelly/SoCal (who just published his own book), Ron Riley/Chicago, and my fave DJ friend, Bill Gardner/Philly+, all gave me the lowdown and high points of

their lives behind the mic (1950s-1970s). In January 1975, Bill wowed his KVIL/Dallas, Texas, listeners, and the station’s billboard advertising reflects the flamboyant flavor of the ‘70s!
       Largely overlooked and underrated in today’s podcast/iTunes/playlists era, DJs still deserve our love. As one calendar’s historical commentary notes, “On this day, we celebrate the talents of all the disc jockeys, from those playing the ‘Chicken Dance’ for the millionth time at a wedding to the radio personalities who help you get through the morning commute.” 

Tuesday ~ January 21^st: And on this date every year, at BFYP we commemorate Wolfman Jack’s birthday! After all, those books I talk about are dedicated to the “Original Rock ‘n’ Roll Animal.” Not only an entertainer, Wolfman Jack (Robert Weston Smith, 1938-1995) was also a consummate marketer, popularizing and selling his syndicated shows at a time when DJs just didn’t do that. Do you recall his memorable performance in the American Graffiti movie? If you want an evening of pure entertainment, buy/rent/view the film. It’s still a hoot! (Image: Wolfman Jack & San Diego’s own celeb DJ, Shotgun Tom Kelly!) 

Tuesday ~ January 28^th: Okay, granted, I stretch a tad seeking relevant music-related blurbs, but seriously, it’s National Kazoo Day! And yes, Kazoos are maybe not popular in Rock tunes, but it has been used—the Beatles turned to it now and again—like McCartney in “Uncle Albert” and Ringo in “You’re Sixteen.” The simple little instrument has been accompanying musical knee-slapping and harmony humming since its patent by Warren Herbert Frost on January 9, 1883. So why celebrate on January 28^th? For no particular reason, says its sponsoring site.

♪♪ BFYP Featured Radio Survey ♪♪  
JANUARY 3, 1975 ~ KPOI/Honolulu, Hawai’i. Wolfman Jack just couldn’t resist having fun for the 1^st, in full party hat and horn regalia on the survey’s cover. One can’t help but wonder … did KPOI keep its New Year resolution to make winners of more than 10,000 listeners in 1975?! … 50 Years Ago this Month in Rock & Roll Radio! Where were you that groovy day when your radio played … 

Let’s Celebrate JANUARY & a Happy New Year 1975 … Rock On!    

BFYP Book 1 (1954-1959) on Amazon         
BFYP Book 2 (Swinging ‘60s) on Amazon 
Blast from Your Past Gifts 
Share your Golden Oldies R&R fun on “X”: @BlastFromPastBk 

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LinDee Rochelle is a writer and editor by trade, and author by way of Rock & Roll. Two books (of three planned) are published in her Blast from Your Past^TM series, available on Amazon: Book 1 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The First Five Years 1954-1959^TM (eBook only; coming soon in updated print edition) and Book 2 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The Swinging Sixties^TM (eBook & print). Coming soon-ish … Book 3 – The Psychedelic Seventies!^TM 

Note: FYI – All links in the BFYP site are personally visited, verified, and vetted. Most are linked to commonly accessed sites of reputable note. Occasionally, since I often feature real people and/or singular sources there may be an unsecured link. As with everything cyber-security, use at your own discretion and risk. This site is wholly owned by LinDee Rochelle & sponsored by PenchantForPenning.com^TM. No compensation is received for any mentions of businesses, products, or other commercial interests. *All holiday and special event days are found at Brownielocks.com’s calendar site. Enjoy! 
            01/01/25: The Blast from Your Past site has never and will never (knowingly) be written or assisted, by Artificial Intelligence. It’s just stupid ol’ “I” and I enjoy writing these articles. They soothe my soul. So why would I hand that indulgence over to an artificial, soulless entity that can’t feel pleasure?!

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Rock Radio 50 Years Ago ~ DECEMBER 1974

It’s the Holidays & We’re Rockin’ the Man in the Moon   

So, let’s see what I managed to pull out of the annals of Rock & Roll history … 50 Years Ago this Month … 

DECEMBER 1974 Radio News & Muse ♪ 

December 6^th: The first week of December we’re either thinking about Christmas and Holidays with the family, or the blowout New Year’s Eve party to ring in 1975—or both! On this day, George Harrison (1943-2001) likely anticipated a better reception to the release in the UK of “Ding Dong, Ding Dong." The New Year’s sing-a-long song was released so late in December—in the US on the 23^rd—that if it made the charts, it likely missed New Year’s parties.
       Granted, I made only a cursory search on it and found no US charts in January 1975 with the song listed. The lyrics are said to have taken George several years to create from two lines of verse carved into a stone fireplace of his nineteenth century drawing room. The song’s video is interesting, but curiously weird. I know George wrote better songs. ♪ … Yesterday, today was tomorrow | And tomorrow, today will be yesterday | So ring out the old | Ring in the new | Ding Dong, Ding Dong … ♪     

December 12^th: Although tensions were high and Mick Taylor was obviously frustrated, apparently members of The Rolling Stones were surprised when he left the band after six lucrative years. What better setting to quit than a Holiday party? The sentiment went, “What, is he insane? No one’s ever left the band before!” First time for everything … 

December 31^st: New Year’s Eve is often full of starry-eyed hope and renewed determination for life renewal. That works for bands, too. After several tumultuous years, Fleetwood Mac made a great decision to start out their 1975 New Year with a new sound. Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac on this date in 1974. What a fun, Rockin’ New Year’s Eve party that must have been in Fresno, California, that included Rare Earth and Montrose. Were you there?   

On Your Tinny Transistor Radio ♪  
Was anyone spending Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Hawai’i, December 1974? I hear it’s the best month of the year there. Wolfman Jack must have thought so too, as he made the cover of KPOI/Honolulu surveys for December 1974 and January 1975. Nevermind that his shows were syndicated … if you were there, here’s a sample of what you heard on KPOI …

Since I have only one December 1974 Rockin’ radio survey in the BFYP Collection, there’s no point in teasing you—this month’s Featured Radio Survey is, indeed, KPOI/Honolulu, Hawai’i.  

The December 20, 1974 “Records of Hawaii” survey #344, pictures DJ Maxx MahiMahi and Wolfman Jack, which will be followed in January, by survey #346, continuing a fun, vintage image of life 50 Years Ago in Rock & Roll music—Hawaiian style. When he ushers in 1975, Wolfman Jack appears again on the cover, this time, hamming it up in a festive, New Year’s party hat.   

While Wolfman is legendary and stories abound about his antics, Maxx MahiMahi, was also known over a lengthy broadcasting career as … John Yount (given name) aka and maybe best known as Big John Carter, reportedly beginning at KPRI/San Diego in 1966 … and fired after his first day. Hmmmm … undaunted, he hit up a plethora of stations as Don Irwin, Spanky Elliott, and his longest-running, Big John Carter began in KYNO/Fresno (1969). There were more, mostly one-year gigs along the way.   

Likely looking for another new start, we find John at KPOI/Hawai’i “The Poi People” in 1974 as Maxx MahiMahi, but it was short-lived as he returned stateside to Los Angeles’ KHJ, again known as Big John Carter in 1975. By 1986, as Jay Crosby, John was at the helm of Jayman Productions until his death in 2005. 

Now, I know for a fact that KPOI still existed as a pop Rock station through January 1975, as I have a printed vintage radio survey to prove it! There is sketchy-to-no history though, after the ARSA music chart displayed for March 28, 1975 …  

Speaking of surveys, every once in a while, a chart anomaly, thanks to lazy or busy radio station personnel, makes it that much more valuable … KPOI had plenty of room for the full title of the Stylistics’ #2 tune, but left “It” out in this survey’s listing: “Let’s Put All Together.” Gotta love it …

And where were we headed for New Music in January 1975? Look next month for “Get Dancin’” by Disco Tex & the Sex-o-Lettes! Obviously a contender for our Quirky Band Name Award. Can’t wait …

December ‘74 Song of Note ♪

       If November is the month of gratitude, then surely, December is the month of nostalgia … looking back, making wishes, and moving forward. With music a conduit of emotions, it was tough to choose this month’s Song of Note. 
       I was first attracted to The Three Degrees’ “When Will I See You Again”—a question that will likely be asked many times over, around the globe, fifty years after it settled into the #3 spot on “KPOI Records of Hawaii” survey, December 20, 1974. A seemingly simple song of love and angst, it delved deeper with every stanza, as its unique lyrics were composed only of questions. ♪ … Are we in love or just friends? | Is this my beginning | Or is this the end? … ♪    
        As I scanned the December survey, my eye caught site of #9 (down from #6), as another Song of Note contender in “Puka Shells” by Rod Young. Not exactly a Holiday tune, but it is sentimental, and it evoked personal memories, as I happily recall my mother and I stringing puka shell necklaces on her front lawn, to sell to friends and neighbors, in the summer of 1974 … Rod and Hawaiian composer, Lani Kai (George Clarence Dennis James Von Ruckleman Woodd III; phew! That’s a name!), rode the gigantic wave of puka shell popularity and by December, had a hit song. ♪ … I give to you | My puka shells | There is nothing more | I have to offer you | My love, my life | And a string of puka shells … ♪    
       However, I strayed out of the Top Ten and discovered Harry Chapin’s (1942-1981) wistful and reflective tune that every loving, hard-working parent, in every generation, can relate to, especially during the Holidays. Debuting at #30 on KPOI’s survey is tearjerker, “Cat’s in the Cradle.” December 1974’s, BFYP monthly Song of Note. It is no less nostalgic in 2024.
       As often happens, parent/child roles indeed, reverse over the years. Listening to Chapin’s #1 tune-to-be, yesteryear’s children may well identify with its very profound lyrics … Sadly, Chapin died in an auto accident at a youthful, 38 years old; son, Josh, had not yet reached the age of ten … ♪ … But it's sure nice talking to you Dad | And as he hung up the phone it occurred to me | He'd grown up just like me | M’boy was just like me  … ♪    

♪ December ‘74 Quirky Band Names ♪  

While some pockets of the country this month may see three-degree weather, in December 1974, we heard The Three Degrees* lament, “When Will I See You Again,” as we headed once more, toward the New Year. (*Note: Not a secure link, but seems benign.)
      The Philadelphia soul group’s simple, sentimental song struck a chord with radio listeners, and it became their intro tune to the Top Ten, making #3, up from #5, for the 1974 Holidays. Now, it’s listed at #67 on Billboard’s 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.
      What’s even more interesting about the trio is … they’ve always been a trio … though more than a dozen women have drifted in and out of their limelight. Beginning with Fayette Pinkney, Shirley Porter and Linda Turner, they’re now headlined by Helen Scott, Valerie Holiday, and Freddi Poole. In early November 2024, several of The Three Degrees (including current three) were feted at WMEL Radio, “Honoring the Legends of Soul And R&B” with a black-tie ceremony. And still, they ask the most poignant of Holiday questions  ♪ … When will I see you again? | When will we share precious moments? … ♪    

 December 2024 Music Events & More ♪    

Tuesday ~ December 31^st: Party on! Hmmmmm, couldn’t find anything fun to promote this month’s events and news, so … since the Holidays and New Year’s Eve is when Rock & Roll is at its shiniest, check out a list of popular hot spots … BFYP is based in SoCal, so this link works for us, but there are parties galore across the country, like Nashville, Tennessee, Orlando, Florida, and Seattle, Washington. Find your party place & see ya next year! 

BFYP Featured Radio Survey ♪♪  
DECEMBER 20, 1974 ~ K-POI’s “Records of Hawaii” music chart takes center stage as our Featured Radio Survey from the “Rock of Honolulu.” Were you relaxing on one of Hawai’i’s balmy isles listening to your tinny transistor radio? Whether you were swinging in the morning sun or listening to Wolfman Jack while staring at the starry sky, you were hearing the future iconic music of the era … 50 Years Ago this Month in Rock & Roll Radio! Where were you that groovy day when your radio played … 

 Let’s Celebrate DECEMBER Holidays 1974 … Rock On!  

BFYP Book 1 (1954-1959) on Amazon
BFYP Book 2 (Swinging ‘60s) on Amazon 
Blast from Your Past Gifts 
Share your Golden Oldies R&R fun on “X”: @BlastFromPastBk

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 LinDee Rochelle is a writer and editor by trade, and author by way of Rock & Roll. Two books (of three planned) are published in her Blast from Your Past^TM series, available on Amazon: Book 1 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The First Five Years 1954-1959^TM (eBook only; coming soon in updated print edition) and Book 2 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The Swinging Sixties^TM (eBook & print). Coming soon-ish … Book 3 – The Psychedelic Seventies!^TM 

Note: FYI – All links in the BFYP site are personally visited, verified, and vetted. Most are linked to commonly accessed sites of reputable note. Occasionally, since I often feature real people and/or singular sources there may be an unsecured link. As with everything cyber-security, use at your own discretion and risk. This site is wholly owned by LinDee Rochelle & sponsored by PenchantForPenning.com^TM. No compensation is received for any mentions of businesses, products, or other commercial interests. *All holiday and special event days are found at Brownielocks.com’s calendar site. Enjoy! 

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