Feel like you’ve been living in a cave, only venturing out to forage for food? There’s a word for that and it resides in April 1972’s Rock & Roll ...
Then & Now Rockin’ News & Views
Polish up your riffs,
it’s International Guitar Month! The sponsoring site’s official link is
a few years old. So here’s a link to their informative History of the Guitar instead, while we slap on some iconic guitar-centric songs ...
Bill’s Radio Reflections ~ BFYP DJ, Bill Gardner, took all the hits for a merry ride around the turntable APRIL 1972 at KING “The Big Eleven” in Seattle. “I thought about all the great songs you've mentioned,” says Bill, “like Roberta Flack ‘First Time Ever,’ and America's ‘Horse With No Name.’ ... but also thought about many wacky songs that were so right for their time fifty years ago, rarely heard today.” For a couple, there is apt reason for that.
“Remember ‘Sylvia's Mother’ by Dr. Hook, ‘I Gotcha’ by Joe Tex, ‘Jungle Fever’ the Chakacha's, or ‘Troglodytes’* by The Jimmy Castor Bunch’?”
McCartney and Wings wanted to “Give Ireland Back To The Irish’ and even Sonny & Cher had a weird one, never to be heard again. Remember ‘A Cowboy's Work Is Never Done’? I don't think I've heard THAT one since I plopped the 45 on the turntable at KING-AM Seattle.”
Bill recalled the heavy station competition in the ‘70s. “Back then, we were head-to-head competitors with TWO other iconic Top 40 Seattle stations, KOL and KJR.” He shared a great BILLboard pic of KING Broadcasting, KING-TV-FM- & AM building on Aurora Avenue North, no longer there. “KING AM-FM and TV were split in the early '90's, and all have different owners and new headquarters elsewhere.” Fun memories and great update, Bill!
*Don’t know what a “troglodyte” is? This is the first time ever, BFYP has shared the Monthly Song of Note with its big sis site, Penchant for Penning's, monthly Wordplay Wednesday word! It was just too much fun to pass up. See below for a taste, and beginning Wednesday, April 6th the PFP site for the full course definition. Warning ... nothing about this song is politically correct ...
With
Guitar Month on the mind, a couple guitar-centric songs stood out on
this month’s Featured Radio Survey for KAFY/Bakersfield,
California, and another station down the road a piece, KHJ/Los Angeles.
The pure guitar
and poetry of Don McLean’s “Vincent”
(Starry, Starry Night) boosted it up from #9 to #5 on KAFY’s “Big 55”
April 18th. McLean’s original handwritten lyrics, in tribute to
famed artist, Vincent Van Gogh, hit the auction in July 2020 and reputedly sold
for $1.5 million.
But beating it out one notch up at #7 is the inimitable Sonny & Cher song with a dynamite guitar intro—“A Cowboy’s Work is Never Done.” It made a rather incongruous impression though, when the duo sang it on their TV show stage in glamorous evening attire. So where’s the horse? No matter. It was reportedly their final top ten hit together.
Meanwhile, it’s worth a mention that across the country, WABC/New York City hit us in the heartland with a catchy guitar sound strumming throughout America’s #1 hit, “Horse with No Name.” The air was full of sound ... ♪
April 16th: Electric Light Orchestra which, with our affinity for acronyms even fifty years ago, quickly became “ELO”, made their maiden concert debut in England on this date. For nearly fifteen years, they brought an ever-changing and enlightening presence to pop, boasting classical influence and mod-Rock melodies. Founding member, Jeff Lynne went solo, and is still making music.
♪ APRIL 2022 Rockin’ News Now …
We’re never without reason to celebrate Rock & Roll history ...
April 11th: It’s party time! And the quintessential party song flows through BFYP this time every year as we celebrate International "Louie Louie" Day. Fifty-nine years ago this month, BFYP DJ, Ken Chase (aka Mike Korgan) of KISN/Portland, Oregon, fame, produced “Louie Louie” for The Kingsmen, and the rest is party history! We tell ya all about it here.
April 23rd: It’s Record Store Day! It’s gratifying to see that vinyl records are still charting hit retail sales. Today is the day to show your love. Many stores across the country debut new and re-issued albums from a multitude of artists, new and old, in all their listening formats, for your pleasure and collecting. Though it is most often celebrated on the second Saturday of April, Easter has claimed that weekend this year and of course, it takes priority. Look for a record party at a new, used or vintage store near you! (Click on your state in the map.)
April 29-May 1st: More Guitar Month madness! If you have a hankerin’ to scoot your boots down to Dallas, Texas, this month, check out their Dallas International Guitar Festival at the Dallas Market Hall! In its 44th year, you never know what guitar greats from around the world in every musical genre imaginable, might be in attendance. Get pickin’!
♪ On Your Tinny Transistor
Radio
APRIL 1972 ~ With two dynamic
radio station surveys to draw from this month, only one can be the Featured
Radio Survey. How did I choose? No contest ... KAFY’s
flaunting Wolfman Jack’s image on the cover!
To be
honest, it was still a tough choice. After all, it is the era of Sex,
Drugs and Rock & Roll—and the Real Don Steele is
half-naked on the KHJ
cover ... can’t you just hear him and Todd Rundgren singing, I was feeling something wasn't
right ... ¯!? (For the fun of it, you’ll also
see the KHJ cover on the Featured Radio Survey page.)
♪ Monthly Song of Note
“Troglodyte” (Cave Man) flew up the KAFY/Bakersfield
music chart from #17 to #6 week of April 18, 1972. You might never have
seen it, heard it or recalled this word/song since the 1970s, but even
then, did you just like the way its title word rolled off your tongue to the
tune, never caring what it meant?
The 1960s and ‘70s were musically macho-man decades, so we kicked the novelty song up to #1 in some areas of North America. Enough to award it a gold certification from RIAA. Unfortunately for today’s liberals, it didn’t stop with just a cave man reference. Get more of the story when it’s available April 6th on Wordplay Wednesday, PenchantForPenning.com.
What we're gonna do right here is go back, way back, back into time | When the only people that existed were troglodytes... Cave men... | Cave women... Neanderthal... Troglodytes ¯
♪ Quirky Band Names
Some band names of the era were more
expressive than odd. Such is the case with Rare Earth, whose single “What’d I Say,” hit the
bottom of KHJ’s Top Thirty on April 4, 1972.
Beginning in 1960 as The Sunliners, by the late ‘60s they felt Rare Earth gave
‘em a groovier feel.
Meanwhile,
at the bottom of KAFY’s
Top Thirty chart, The Chi-Lites
were still going strong after thirteen years, with “Oh Girl.” They
originally wanted the Hi-Lights name, but it was in use, so by 1969 settled on
Chi-Lites with the “Chi” honoring their Chicago
hometown. Oh, girl | I
guess I better go ...
APRIL 18, 1972 ~ KAFY/Bakersfield, California ~ “Hey Baby, you got a favorite Oldie?” It’s Wolfman Jack! And yep, we were playin’ Oldies even back then. Wolfman Jack was spinning his magic in the heart of California’s farmlands … 50 Years Ago this Month in Rock & Roll Radio! Where were you that groovy day when your radio played …
Let’s Celebrate APRIL 1972
and … Rock On! ♪
Blast
from Your Past Gifts
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LinDee Rochelle is a writer and editor by trade, and author by way of Rock & Roll. Two books (of three) are published 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. 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. 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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