Spring has sprung! The Easter chicks are peeping pink candy and April Fool’s jokes take a nosedive.
Seems the right time to sing a silly song from 1971 … though
the cheeky “Chick-A-Boom” (Daddy Dewdrop, aka Dick Monda) wasn’t a
pop hit everywhere or for long, it caught the fancy and fun of San Diego radio
fans, who jammed it up to #2 on KCBQ’s “Q Hits” survey for April 16,
1971.
Yep, we’re talkin’ cheeky … ♪ Don't Ya Jes' Love It … | I asked about the chick but what they said was
freaky …| Chick-a-boom,
chick-a-boom-boom-boom … ♪
It was just too much fun—as it should
be—since it was created for the popular Groovie Goolies animated TV show about trendy monsters;
a production of Filmation co-founded by BFYP DJ Norm Prescott. Talk about tongue-in-cheek lyrics.
So now that we’ve sprung into Spring with a chuckle, let’s flip on the mic, and Rock On back to APRIL 1971 …
Rockin’
News &
Views ~ Then & Now
♪ Then
… ♪
Are
you into celebrity news? While they celebrated hanging on in the top ten of
some stations like KFRC/San Francisco, with “Brown Sugar” at #8, it was more of a behind-the-scenes party that
featured the song’s new label. I venture to say, its lyrics would be banned in today’s volatile racial
climate, but we can’t change history, we can only learn from it. Society was
very different 50 Years Ago this Month.
An elite Spring gala honored their new
contract with Atlantic Records on April 1, 1971, sans April Fool’s Day
tomfoolery, as they forged an alliance featuring the Stones’ launch of their
own label, Rolling Stones Records. Were you invited to their
Cannes party April 6, 1971? Let’s par-tay!
♪ & Now … ♪
There is the International Amateur Radio Union that organized to save short wave radio back in 1925 and established World Amateur Radio Day that falls on April 18th this year. Join them in 2021’s encouraging theme, “Amateur Radio: Home but Never Alone.” Check it out and learn how to create and/or enjoy a home radio setup! [I’m sure it’s waaaay different than 50 Years Ago!]
Speaking of dance, although its origins are steeped in ballet history, National Dance Week is April 16-25th and I say we move our feet to any ol’ music just to get us up and dancing! With celeb spokespeople over the years, like Paula Abdul, Ben Vereen and Jo Rowan, the week’s host obviously celebrates the motivating action more than a standard form. So … let’s shake all over and Rock & Roll!
50 Years
Ago on Your Tinny Transistor
Radio ~ APRIL
1971
In a quick tally, only two tunes ranked in the top ten for all four stations:
With two weeks (or more) to climb the charts, “Joy to the World” (Three Dog Night) enjoyed the #1 ranking for KCBQ/San Diego, California, where you listened to BFYP DJ Rich Brother Robbin 04/16/71.
Keeping them company was
WSAI/Cincinnati,
Ohio 04/24/71, and KFRC/San
Francisco, California 04/23/71. But even with help from six dynamo DJs
including Dick Linn, fans at KBZY/Salem, Oregon, hadn't had enough time on the 04/02/71 survey to push it up any further than #8 (from #14 prior week). Musta been the frog that made it so popular ... ♪ Jeremiah was a bullfrog | was a good friend of mine ... ♪ "Wild World" (Cat Stevens), the other song of note on the charts, had just belatedly clawed its way to #2 on KBZY, but already downsliding to #8 on KCBQ and WSAI, while KFRC and DJ Bob Foster had already dropped it into nowhere land.
BFYP
Featured Radio Survey
Rockin’ APRIL 1971 ~ Gotta love the ‘60s and ‘70s music
charts artwork. Perfect example is
Celebrate APRIL 1971 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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