Rock Radio JUNE 1973 Summer of Steamy Hits

Summer Love Holds the Other Key to Me    

We’re rolling into summer, lovin’ the music, sprinkled with a spirit of nostalgic adventure! Not only will we take you back to June 1973, we’re sharing 2023’s San Diego County Fair full of nostalgic music fun, and below that, you’ll find a lineup link to similar summer festivals across the country.

First, on the virtual Internet streets, word has it, June is National DJ Month! Sponsored by Music Talkers, they couldn’t have said it better, “Whether broadcasting to listeners on the radio, engaging TV audiences or just setting the mood of a party, wedding reception, or any a special occasion, the DJ is an essential part of our culture.”

So true—from decade to decade, radio for instance, has reinvented itself to remain relevant, with help from the disk jockeys who refuse to believe their listeners don’t need them. We do. Locally and globally.

So, together with our respective DJs, here we are in June 2023, Rocking back to the Summer of 1973 with fond memories of now-iconic tunes, like George Harrison’s “Give Me Love,” and “Thinking of You” (Loggins & Messina). No doubt about it, Summer Love holds a special place in the hearts of teens in every generation. The world feels brighter, hearts are lighter, and luuuuvvvv is in the air! 50 Years Ago this Month …

Rockin’ News 1973 ♪ 

June 4^th: Who recalls radio of the ‘60s and ‘70s in Davenport, Iowa? You might remember it was on this day 1973 that KFMH radio flipped its lid from one extreme to another—easy listening to alternative rock. Talk about culture shock! Captain Steve Bridges, local celebrity DJ, gave the station its new music ID as PD, and listeners loved it. Reportedly, the first song in the new lineup was 1971’s nearly seven-minute statement, “I’ve Seen All Good People” by Yes.

June 15^th: ♪  And if you feel like I feel baby … ♪  “Let’s Get It On” was recorded by the inimitable Marvin Gaye on this day, finally hitting WCFL’s July 21^st chart at #37, to begin its slow, sexy, upward climb to the top ten tunes by November 1^st. ♪… Somethin' like summer time … ♪ #SoulTrain

On Your Tinny Transistor Radio ♪ 
Ya gotta love an ad that even 50 Years Ago compared itself to “industry standard,” McDonald’s. June 1973 radio survey ad: “Yahoo, Texas Burger! More beef than a Quarter Pounder or Big Mac from Dog N Suds …

And just to confuse you, that’s in Chicago! Yup, we’re heading into another month of WCFL on your turntable. Not for any particular reason—it’s just the only June vintage music chart in the BFYP Collection*.

Last month, we saw Larry Lujack lounging on WCFL’s cover. For June, mid-days’ DJ Bob Dearborn made the cover and brought you all the hot tunes for lunch! As a DJ mainstay with the top stations in Chicago, Bob’s career in the windy city spanned sixteen years in his forty-five-plus years in radio. Practically a record in DJ-speak!

We were getting thirsty for Pepsi as the turntable spun under the hot summer sun, JUNE 1973. A WCFL ad mentioned Pepsi-Cola's 75th anniversary ... but do you know what the famous "pop" was called for five years before 1898? Visit the Featured Radio Survey page for answer! Musically, not much changed in the Top 40 lineup from late May to early June. May’s top ten songs shuffled up-and-down and danced around each other, to push Sylvia’s steamy “Pillow Talk” to the top. ♪… And let's get together before the day runs us down … ♪  

Some fun new tunes are bubbling up from the bottom, with Pink Floyd (“Money”), Deep Purple (“Smoke on the Water”) and Tower of Power (“So Very Hard to Go”) all clinging to a bottom rung. By month’s end, the first two (incidentally, not about love) found their tunes jockeying in the top twenty of sweltering Summer hits …

Quirky Band Names ♪ 
Ya betcha there’s a band named New York City, with their first and biggest hit, “I’m Doin’ Fine Now” on the charts, 50 Years Ago this Month … after taking a bite of the Big Apple, we’re hitchin’ a train to the Midwest. Following a string of early no-hits, the still-active-today Ohio Players first gave us “Funky Worm.”

But it’s a band whose name defined the ‘70s and began their pot-smoking spiral rise up the charts this month, that caught my eye. The Doobie Brothers slipped into 1973’s steamy summer hits with yet another in their string of hits, “Long Train Runnin’.” After several resurrections over the past fifty years, they’re still playing strong.

Ah, but what about the Quirky Name? You guessed it—the Doobie Brothers earned their moniker honestly—so to speak—but band drummer, John Hartman, is reported to having not a clue “doobie” meant a marijuana joint. Um, okay. They also hadn’t intended to use the name permanently, just until they could think of a better one. And as our parents would have said, “See kids, this is what smoking pot does to you!” LOL Whatever their name, we’re glad they stuck around  ♪… Without love where would you be now … ♪  

Monthly Song of Note ♪ 
*Music surveys from the BFYP (Blast from Your Past) Collection of Rock & Roll and Radio memorabilia is the source for our Featured Radio Survey and monthly Song of Note. Limited availability of vintage charts means at times, I managed to collect only one radio station radio survey for any given month.

For instance, WCFL/Chicago’s charts are the only ones I have for both May and June of 1973. They’re only two weeks apart, so still share several tunes in the top ten. However, “My Love” by Paul McCartney (and Wings) rocketed up the WCFL/Chicago chart for June 2, 1973, hitting #6, from last week’s #16. Its rapid rise put it in a class by itself for June.

McCartney bounced onto the last few rungs of the Top 40 chart for the first time at #38, May 5^th, and with just three giant leaps, “My Love,” that celebrates his wife, Linda, passed up songs languishing in the top twenty for weeks, on its way to #6. Yup, it was a hot, steamy month for love, June 1973! ♪ … Don't ever ask me why | I never say goodbye to my love … ♪ 

June 2023 Music Tidbits ♪   

Making summer hot, our San Diego County Fair, June 7^th to July 4^th, brings the steam to SoCal stages. Their apropos theme: “Get Out There” urges us to roam and explore this summer, and ya may as well enjoy great music while you’re at it! Some standout Rock below and full list of stellar concerts and comedy in all-inclusive fun, here. (Of course, fair admission comes with ticket purchase!) And the Chevrolet Paddock Stage performances are all free with your fair ticket!

June 7^th: Don't you just love a great trip with California’s own Train?! Who knows, maybe you’ll “Meet Virginia.” Great way to open the Fair! Train tickets    

June 14^th: Bruuuuuce! You definitely don't want to miss a trip down Memory Lane with the Springsteen Experience! Performer Josh Tanner is also a Jersey guy & his Paddock Stage show is free with Fair ticket.

June 17^th: Keepin’ you Rockin’ halfway through the Fair, dig out your inner teen, 39ers, we’re heading to the 50^th anniversary tour of Lynyrd Skynyrd! From Jacksonville, Florida, to San Diego, California, like many Rock & Roll powerhouses, Skynyrd has proven 39 and HOLDING is more than a cliché (and our sister club’s platitude), and Rock is an enduring lifestyle. “Get Out There” and Rock On! ♪… Gimme three steps towards the door …♪ Skynyrd’s tickets    

June 23rd: What's a good date night concert? Eagle Eyes of course! This talented group has perfected their tribute to the acclaimed Eagles, down to the smallest details for the biggest effect. See for yourself ... free on the Paddock Stage. 

July 1^st: Shhhh, don’t tell anyone, but we’re sneakin’ into July to bring you news of Southern Rock band, Alabama, taking the stage at the San Diego County Fair! Who doesn’t love Rock with a twang?! Though their biggest hits ushered in the 1980s, founding member, Jeff Cook (with cousins, Randy Owen and Teddy Gentry), was a Rock Radio DJ in their hometown of Fort Payne, Alabama, in the late 1960s. Playing together in the early ‘70s, it was 1973 when they decided to “go pro.” ♪… Oh, Tennessee River and a mountain man | we play together in Mother Nature's Band …♪  Alabama ticket-time   

The Fair’s steamy summer music doesn’t stop there. That’s just a sampling of the Toyota Summer Concert Series on the “Corona Grandstand Stage.” There are local bands and great tribute bands on the Chevrolet Paddock Stage throughout the month. Bottom line, make June 2023 a stand-out summer of music and more, to remember! And BFYP readers across the country, check out your local county fairs to make it a super summer and “Get Out There”!

June 28^th: Back to general June news, we’d be remiss not to tell those who Rock a little more laid back, Island Style-under-the-limbo-stick, it’s International Parrot Head Day. If you don’t know what that means, well, all I can ask is, where have you been for the past 50 Years-plus?! Jimmy Buffett is a classic and so are his songs ♪… Chew a little Juicy Fruit | Wash away the night …♪            

BFYP Featured Radio Survey ♪♪ 
JUNE 2, 1973 ~ WCFL/Chicago—yep again! Last month’s Larry Lujack cover was fun, while June’s mid-day DJ Bob Dearborn, promised all the hot tunes for your afternoon lunch! You may remember Bob as the DJ who championed Don McLean’s “American Pie” with an in-depth analysis of the song in January 1972. This month, still playing the hits, Bob’s halfway through his six-year gig at WCFL … 50 Years Ago this Month in Rock & Roll Radio! Where were you that groovy day when your radio played … 

Let’s Celebrate JUNE 1973 and … 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 Twitter: @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 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 … Book 3 – 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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Rock Radio MARCH 1972 Rainbows & Gold

♪ Reachin' Out for the Rainbow's End ... ♪ 

Life is a work in progress ... and so is this fun site about music and radio, 50 Years Ago this Month. Satisfy your nostalgic appetite ... and c’mon back every month for more pioneering Rock & Roll and the dynamic DJs who brought it to us ... 

♪ Then & Now  Rockin’ News & Views 
We’re Marchin’ on to the Rock & Roll beat! While last month we chatted about the many outstanding albums of 1972, with everything coming up hearts and flowers, it was much easier to choose a February Monthly Song of Note. This month proved a little tougher to choose just one, in the list of classic Top 40 tunes. So much to choose from! So let’s get Rockin’ ...

🎵 Rockin’ News Then MARCH 1972 …
We fell in love with Roberta Flack on the radio, driving “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” up the charts in leaps and bounds from #40 to #32. It finally hit #1 for WCFL April 13^th. Of course, it didn’t hurt that Clint Eastwood primed it in his 1971 directorial debut film, Play Misty for Me. The song cruised through 1972 to land on top again in December, as it woke up Apollo 17 astronauts circling the earth on their last morning orbit before heading home. Some think the reference was for the “face” of the moon. 
       This is a good place to introduce a new BFYP blog feature! Our best DJ bud, Bill Gardner, has graciously agreed to share memories when they apply to our current 50 Years Ago month. Bill is a wealth of radio DJ information and connections. He has the best stories from back in the day! This is why when I asked, he said:
       “Best story from that era was [from] my longtime friend and co-creator of America's first rock and

roll FM station, KLZ-FM/Denver. Max Floyd told me this great memory recently that I'd never heard. He and other professionals from music and radio were in a dark but trendy Denver bar in early '72.  Max told me while walking through, he tripped over a long-legged guy who had his legs extended from his seat at a table. Max vigorously apologized, and a short, pleasant conversation then ensued, including their work. Turned out that the long-legged guy that Max didn't recognize was Clint Eastwood, who told Max about his new movie he was directing, and passionately told of his choice for the soundtrack of Roberta Flack's "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face." SO passionate was Eastwood, that Max then immediately added this "nowhere song" to the airplay list at Denver's KLZ-FM. As you said, it soon defied all odds streaking up the charts, and Max Floyd and KLZ-FM got the gold record from Atlantic Records for "breaking" the song for radio stations all across America!” Thank you, Bill! Awesome nostalgia.

Another Song of Note top tune contender, “A Horse With No Name” (America) hit #15, poised to quickly make the top ten before St. Patrick’s Day. It finally made #1 on WCFL’s April 6^th chart.

But I chose an upbeat, bouncy tune for this month’s musical march into March 50 Years Ago this Month. You’ll find it bound in all its glory below, in March’s Top Tunes …

First though, what was Bill Gardner doing this month 50 Years Ago?  “I was about halfway through a late '71 to early '73 run in March '72 as afternoon DJ on "The Big 11," KING-AM/Seattle with our great Drake jingles. I remember my beautiful and cute little, just-turned-four-years-old, daughter Crystal, trying to sing along with Cher's ‘The Way of Love’ in the top 10.  ...But what will you do | when he's touching your feet! ...* she sang :-)  And I was playing Nilsson's terrific ‘Without You,’ ... among others.” Thanks Bill ... I kinda liked Crystal’s version! A good foot massage is oh-so-good ...
[*#5 on our Featured Radio Survey, Cher sung... Then what will ya do | when he sets you free ... while Nilsson’s tune was heading down at #11.] 

DJ Ted Anthony gave bombshell blonde, Carol Channing, a big hug on the cover of WCFL/Chicago’s March 9, 1972, music chart. But my attention is grabbed by the ad on the back—“Wear a Happy Shirt ... BUNwarmer”! OK, minds out of the gutter—it was a candy bar!
       Any information to fill in the gaps of Ted’s DJ life before and after, was convoluted, incomplete, or simply wrong. Bill came through again with a little more history. He found that Ted had worked at CKLW/Canada somewhere between 1967 and 1984 (as Jack Anthony). But the truly interesting tidbit he found was Ted’s 1976 gig in Tehran! L.A.Radio.com at one time, had posted a comment by Ted about his Tehran adventure, "My last radio shows were done with a helicopter pilot ready to fly me out in case of a siege upon the Government's Main National Broadcast facility by Iranian rebels.” Wow.
       This tribute tells the story with some interesting viewer comments posted. Set to Tom Petty’s “The Last DJ” (2002), the video begins, “In 1976, Tehran got its first American DJ. Ted Anthony.” His overall history is still mostly a mystery, but there’s never a dull moment in a DJ’s life! (Thanks to YouTube member, bozkuhi. Without his tribute, we wouldn’t have known anything substantive about Ted!) 

👉March 15^th: While Ted got cozy with Carol, infamous Los Angeles DJ, Robert W. Morgan, didn’t want to let February go, so he reportedly felt the need for “Puppy Love” (Donny Osmond’s popular tune), and kept it on the air at KHJ, without interruption, for 90 minutes. He narrowly escaped arrest when the cops showed up, suspecting foul play, and found it was just publicity air-play.

🎵 Rockin’ News Now MARCH 2022 …
It’s March, so it must be Music in Our Schools Month! Sponsored by the National Association for Music Education, teachers, students, and music supporters come together for creative music activities and advocacy. If you sing it, play it, teach it, or simply love it, join the celebration!

👉March 17^th: Sure ‘n’ begorrah, of course, it’s St. Patrick’s Day! Nah, doesn’t have anything to do with 1972’s Rock & Roll ... it’s just part of my heritage. So play your fave Irish ditty or opt for a sing-along of “The Unicorn Song”* and dance a little jig. Everyone’s a wee bit o’ Irish on St. Patrick’s Day! The loveliest of all was the Un-i-corn ... Sláinte! (*It was 1968 when The Irish Rovers took the world by Gaelic storm with this toe-tapping tune, originally written, recorded and released in 1962 by Shel Silverstein.)

♪ ♪ Top Tunes on Your Tinny Transistor Radio    
MARCH 1972 ~ We pretty much talked the Top Tunes for this month, above. For more evidence of the year’s incredible music, Carly Simon’s iconic “Anticipation” is in the Top Ten, along with Paul Simon’s (no relation) equally stunning, “Mother and Child Reunion.”

♪ Monthly Song of Note 
“Glory Bound” The Grass Roots – Rockin’ out at #18 in March’s Featured Radio Survey, it peaked at #7 by end of month before sliding down in April. We can read any number of meanings into this toe-tapping song ... in light of recent world events, this one helped buoy my psyche to get on with my day. After all, who can resist sunny days and rainbows ... ♪ Glory bound, Lord, I'm never never comin' down ... ♪  

♪ Quirky Band Names 
Looking to see what unique band names crowded onto the music charts this month? Standouts include the New Colony Six (“Someone, Sometime”), Chicory [Tip] (“Son of My Father”), and the Sugar Bears crooning, “You are the One.” Warning! Listening to this song may leave you craving a sugary cereal breakfast! Why? Because the Sugar Bears pop studio band emerged from the 1940s brainchild commercial for Sugar Crisp the precursor to Golden Crisp cereal produced by the General Foods Corporation (now defunct). Cute.

♪♪ BFYP Featured Radio Survey 
MARCH 9, 1972 ~ WCFL/Chicago* – Despite its staid name, WCFL made music fun for its listeners. Every week with their top 40 “All Hits Music” charts, they published a list of “Big 10” from another city’s top songs. One week it was Philly’s Big 10, another, Australia’s turn, but my faves were the “Big 10 GOLD” lists. Most especially for Holidays like St. Patrick’s Day: “Big 10 GREEN GOLD”, with the wandering tune, “Green, Green” from 1963 at the top (New Christy Minstrels). A week earlier, WCFL’s “Collector’s Issue No. 53” is our showcased survey … 50 Years Ago this Month in Rock & Roll Radio! Where were you that groovy day when your radio played …

Let’s Celebrate MARCH 1972 and … Rock On!  ♪  

Blast from Your Past Gifts  
Share on Twitter: @BlastFromPastBk            

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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