Blast from Your Past: boss radio

Thursday, August 2, 2018

50 Years Ago August 1968 Restless & Wild

>>BFYP BULLETIN 08/19/18: Philly breeds DJs in triplicate! The Gardner Brothers are more than siblings and great friends. Originally from the City of Brotherly Love, Al and Andre (center and right) followed big bro Bill, into radio broadcasting, to help pioneer Rock Radio. Bill, a BFYP DJ featured in Book 2, The Swinging Sixties, sent this pic from their recent reunion in Las Vegas. Coming up in 2019, the spotlight will focus on Al and Andre’s stories in Book 3, The Psychedelic Seventies! Don’t touch that dial! But click here, for a fun blurb on airline pilot and DJ extraordinaire, “Ol’ Captain” Bill’s website …

And now, let's flip on the mic, and Rock On back to 1968 …
Dreamy, Restless, and Born to Be Wild!

In 1968 we sashayed toward the Psychedelic Seventies, with every dreamy and “far out” song that hit the top of the charts.

Heating up the August charts with ethereal and floating tunes, we crooned “Dream a Little Dream of Me” with Mama Cass, and turned retro with The Vogues’ “Turn Around, Look at Me.” But rebel Rock was never far from the top.

“Born to Be Wild” (Steppenwolf) flew up the WABC Radio 77 (New York) survey from the bottom, to #9, by the end of August. Can’t you just see Cousin Brucie cuing up the record and singing with us, ♪ Get your motor runnin’ | Head out on the highway … ♪

Across the country, “The Real Don Steele” spun the hits at KHJ/Los Angeles. Their Boss 30 chart spotlighted the West’s restlessness, with “Born to Be Wild” already sitting pretty at the top of the chart by August 21^st. ♪ Like a true nature's child | We were born, born to be wild …! ♪

Aiming for the stars, new bands coveting that #1 spot on the chart, formed right and left; some fans said no, some yelled a resounding …

August 4^th: YES! had an inauspicious start at a kids’ summer camp on this day in East Mersea, Essex. But within a year, Tony Wilson, British columnist for pioneering weekly music mag, Melody Maker, chose Yes and Led Zeppelin as the two bands "most likely to succeed." Prophetic, indeed!

And through the long, hot summer of 1968, our radios blared with the added spectrum of FM on our dials while music took on every color of the rainbow … or at least it did, in our minds …

Trip on your mind-blowing memories of the Crown of Creation album (Jefferson Airplane), set to debut the following month, September 1968.

Featured Radio Survey: Though not appearing on the chart, Simon & Garfunkel graced the cover of the Boss 30 chart for August 21, 1968 at KHJ/Los Angeles. The full chart is hosted at my fave vintage radio survey site The Airheads Radio Survey Archive. Or, see the top ten as our featured survey, 50 Years Ago This Month. Rev up your memories and recall that awesome day when …

Celebrate AUGUST 1968 and … Rock On!

Blast from Your Past Gifts

Share on Twitter: @BlastFromPastBk

LinDee Rochelle is a writer and editor by trade, and an 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!

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

Thursday, March 1, 2018

50 Years Ago FM Rebel Rock March 1968

Rebel Rock on Your Radio Dial

This 50 Years Ago this Month post can brag about a DJ featured in the Blast from Your Past series! Those of us who were “there”, know the 1960s is in many ways, an uncanny sister-era to the 2010s. But back “in the day” we had the added attraction of enjoying the birth of FM Radio and Rebel Rock.

The Swinging Sixties felt the change and upheaval in all aspects around the world. Rebel Rock really started to catch fire as FM radio heated up the broadcasting industry. A handful of innovative disk jockeys felt the vibe—especially those who heard the call of underground music, and the psychedelic siren of San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury. Leaning into 50 Years Ago this Month 1968 …

March 11^th: With the progress of Acid Rock and early Progressive Rock on FM radio airwaves, several former Top 40 radio stations gave up the ghost for an all-news format, like KFWB in Los Angeles. It followed in the footsteps of KYW/Philly and WINS/NY. However, a Boston station took a go-with-the-flow attitude …

March 15^th: WBCN/Boston thought no one would notice if they gradually began switching from easy listening to freeform Progressive Rock. Right … just proved a point for a very vocal pioneering DJ …

March 18^th: Always the innovator and instigator, popular San Francisco DJ and program director, “Big Daddy” Tom Donahue (1928-1975), propagated the infant Progressive Rock march into FM stations like legendary KMPX. But he shocked management when he resigned, with attitude. He and wife, Raechel, pushed the envelope, taking much of the staff and DJs with them in a walk-out dubbed by locals as “The Great Hippie Strike.” More than a little partying flanked the picket lines, as the strike waged on for two months, with a lot of head-butting, but no resolution.

The Donahues didn’t let one stubborn station owner get in their way of Rockin’ progress. They morphed former KSFR 94.9 (now KYLD) into iconic KSAN/FM “The Jive 95.” Most of the former KMPX staff moved in with them.

As Raechel used to say, “This is KSAN in San Francisco. Sometimes we do it fast … sometimes we do it slow … but we al-ways do it!”

Tom spoke into the microphone with energetic glee, “You can see, we’re gonna be doin’ a LOT of boogie’n’.”

Featured Radio Survey: Top 40 still ruled many San Francisco stations, though, like popular KFRC. The Beatles’ “Lady Madonna” marched up the chart at #13. A far-out rendering of the Fab Four on the cover, fascinated fans. 50 Years Ago This Month, recall that awesome day when …

Celebrate MARCH 1968: 50 Years Ago and … Rock On!