The
Swingin’ Sixties Swing into The Psychedelic Seventies!
50 Years
Ago this Month
We Rocked
through the Sixties… now it’s time to Roll into another Golden Decade of
Rock & Roll Radio and the DJs who brought us into … the Psychedelic
Seventies TM!
And
yes, for those who care, as we dip our toes into the ocean of Golden Oldies, I
shall be working side-by-side with the first few months of ‘70s memories, on my
3rd book (finally, again)—The Psychedelic Seventies—in the Blast
from Your Past series. I know I’ve been promising it since Book 2 (1960s)
published, but ya know … life often gets in the way of our best laid plans. So,
I’m back at it! With that update, let’s party on …
On
Your Tinny Transistor Radio ~ JANUARY 1970
The first few weeks of January, *WCFL/Chicago’s
top 40 toppers wrestled for the top 5 spots, with no one song staying too long.
Until … Sly and the Family Stone got the station’s audience attention and
started moving up the chart.
The January
12th survey on ARSA seems normal at first, but looking closely
to see where songs were at the beginning of the year, I spotted survey info
contributor, Craig Pucci,
having some fun with his August 6, 2014 posting … where Sly & The Family
Stone appeared at #20, he just had to list their song with the mondegreen
title “…Thank
You Fa Lettinme Be Mice Elf Agin.” Heehee. Cool. Most other stations
went with just “Thank You” and KHJ
fans on the “left coast,” liked their “B” side better, “Everybody is a Star.”
Of course, the “straight” song
title is “Thank You for
Lettin’ Me be Myself Again.” It stayed in the top 10 nearly all the way
through February.
January 14th: With
their farewell swan song, “Someday
We’ll be Together,” barely hanging on the chart’s top 20, Diana Ross &
The Supremes headline the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas for a final live concert.
Ross headed off to a solo career, snubbing her replacement, Jean
Terrell, with a dry, onstage introduction capping the end of the last show.
January 15th: As
streaking led us into the promiscuous Seventies, John
Lennon continued his self-expressive style, opening an exhibit of
lithographs titled Bag One, in The London Arts Gallery. It was short-lived,
however, as Scotland Yard confiscated eight of the fourteen lithos, for
displaying eroticism. Guess they hadn’t quite caught up with the times, as a
case against Lennon for distribution of indecent material was ultimately
dismissed.
January 21st:
Let’s hear it for the wolfman! Every year on January 21st, BFYP
celebrates the birthday of our self-proclaimed “Original Rock ‘n’ Roll Animal,”
Wolfman
Jack! He’d have been 82 years old this month. BFYP
keeps his spirit Rockin’, with the book series dedicated to the innovative,
one-of-a-kind DJ.
One
of my favorite quotes from Book 2: This is Wolfman Jack, skinny-dippin’ in
the oil of joy down here on XERB,
the tower of flower power. Fifty thousand watts of soul power. Awwoooooo!
*Featured Radio
Survey: WCFL/Chicago must have thought DJ Jim Stagg needed a younger, more female-appealing sobriquet, so in this January 26, 1970 survey, he is "Jimmy P. Stagg." Alrighty. Either way, he's a cool BFYP DJ, with great behind-the-mic
true tales in both Book
1, Book 2 and coming soon (or eventually), Book 3. … 50 Years Ago this Month in
Rock & Roll Radio! Where were you that groovy day when
…
Celebrate JANUARY 1970 and … Rock On!
Share on Twitter: @BlastFromPastBk
LinDee Rochelle is a writer and editor by trade, and author by way of Rock & Roll. She has published two books (of three) in her Blast from Your Past series, available on Amazon (eBook and print): Book 1 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The First Five Years 1954-1959; and Book 2 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The Swinging Sixties. Coming soon … The Psychedelic Seventies!
Note: FYI – All links in the BFYP site are personally
visited, verified, and vetted. Most are linked to commonly accessed sites of
reputable note. However, as with everything cyber-security, use at your own
discretion.
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