Rock Radio 50 Years Ago ~ MARCH 1975

Sex, Drugs & Rock ‘n’ Roll in your Chevy Van!   

♪ … We made love in my Chevy van | And that's all right with me … ♪ Yep, in the 1970s we were carefree and cocky … and that was all right with me! How ‘bout you?  

We were lucky to survive the ‘70s—a decade of excess and wildness—much like the 2020s! And some of that carefree ATTittude was echoed by our Rock & Roll Radio DJs, who reflected the mood of the Psychedelic Seventies, behind the mic, playing our hits with wild abandon. Think Cheech & Chong in a Radio studio … you’ll get the idea.

Let’s take a peek at what chart-topping artists were doing … 50 Years Ago this Month …   

º MARCH 1975 Radio News & Muse ♪ 

Where are we spinning the Radio dial and listening to our fave DJs this month? Vegas, baby! Who remembers KENO 1460 (go figure) and its “Hit Parade” chart in teeny-tiny print on a boring gray background? At least its Top 40 was exciting. So let’s get Rockin’ and take a look at news of the day …

March 2^nd: Keep in mind as you read this, not even a tiny amount of pot was legal back in the day … I’m sure Paul and Linda McCartney knew that when Paul ran a red light in L.A. Not smart, as police pulled them over and the cop got a whiff of sweet Maryjane. A quick rummage through Linda’s purse produced six-to-eight ounces of the wacky weed. Oops! She took the fall (and, ahem, the cop forgot about the likely faulty brakes on Paul’s 1974 Lincoln Continental). Just one of several legal mishaps for the duo … but hey, we didn’t care … that pot gave us great music!

March 10^th: You would soon see another former Beatle still immersed in his “retro” tunes with John Lennon’s release this month of Ben E. King’s 1961 tune, “Stand By Me.” It had already hit KENO’s Top 20 chart by the 3^rd week.

March 21^st: When you’ve been out of sight for a year, a music artist looking for a concert comeback needs to make a spectacular statement … Alice Cooper (aka Vincent Damon Furnier) did just that, beginning his two-year tour with his first solo effort, “Welcome to My Nightmare,” on this date in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
       There’s no doubt Alice is a controversial character, but I stumbled on a brilliant quote made in a 1975 (August) German press release: “ … critic Noel Coppage already noted, 'since it is becoming increasingly difficult to shock adults, Alice Cooper is an example of how hard a band must work these days to gain the bad reputation that Elvis once achieved with a simple hip swing.'” So true! His “Only Women” (also controversial) from the album, hit KENO’s chart at #35 just five days later.

March 29^th: Ok, I’m going to have to let you laugh at me here … I totally remember loudly singing along to Patti Labelle’s chart-climbing tune, “Lady Marmalade” that gave her a #1 hit on this date. No big deal, we all did sing-alongs, right? Did you specifically memorize the French phrase that comprised a popular chorus? I did … “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?” I was SO proud to be able to just rattle that phrase off like I knew French! Do you know what it translates to?  
       I did not … but I thought I was cool, until I learned the catchy song phrase asks, "Do you want to sleep with me, tonight?" (!) Rumor has it though, Labelle was as oblivious as I was! “I didn't know what it was about,” she said. “I don't know French and nobody, I swear this is God's truth, nobody at all told me what I'd just sung a song about.” I’m vindicated by the “Godmother of Soul”! LOL 

♪ On Your Tinny Transistor Radio ♪  
What were you listening to in March 1975? Actually, the story of “Lady Marmalade” is perfect to lead us into the top tunes as we heard them on KENO 1460/Las Vegas, Nevada. Is it any wonder the tune was at #1 on the Sin City’s “Hit Parade” survey for March 26^th, before slipping into 2^nd?
       Although KENO is a Spanish language sports-talk station now, in the 1960s and ‘70s it was tunefully Top 40, swinging with vibes of the day. Top three listener picks: 1) “My Eyes Adored You,” (Frankie Valli), 2) “Lady Marmalade,” (Patti Labelle), and 3) “Lovin’ You” (Minnie Rip(p)erton*; *Radio stations weren’t always known for print accuracy on their charts.) 

♪ March ’75 Song of Note ♪
No less sexy and controversial than “Lady Marmalade,” our vintage Song of Note is all in English and clear in its meaning. It was a prime example of Sex, Drugs and Rock & Roll with a hippie van thrown in for fun. “Chevy Van” was a one-hit-wonder for Sammy Johns (1946-2013), telling the story of hook-ups from a half-century ago. 

       The song was originally ignored by his label, GRC Records, until it found fans on the radio. Although called the "… ‛song of the '70s’ by Rolling Stone magazine,” Johns’ biggest success came from creating hit Country songs for Waylon Jennings and Conway Twitty. ♪ … She woke up and took me by the hand | She's gonna love me in my Chevy van … ♪  

♪ March 2025 Music Events & More ♪    
Well, we’re a little sparse in this section, but the one special day we have is a force to be reckoned with in Rock & Roll music. Musicians likely begin their trip down the tuneful road first learning to play either the guitar or the piano. So just for you …

March 29^th: Do you know how to tickle those sweet ivories? It’s World Piano Day and piano or keyboards are such a fun part of Rock & Roll. From Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire” (c. 1957; most fun in the Top Gun movie scene of 1986) to Billy Joel’s 1974 hit, “The Entertainer.” While there are plenty of international piano events to peruse, there are few (none I could find) in the US. So, unlock your inner Billy Joel and create one!   

♪♪ BFYP Featured Radio Survey ♪♪   
March 26, 1975 ~ KENO 1460/Las Vegas, Nevada, may not have the coolest or flashiest Radio survey in the town which usually has plenty of both, but it did reflect its listeners' excellent taste in music, served up by DJs like Phil Branigan, Norm Seeley and Dave Winter. Do you remember … 50 Years Ago this Month in Rock & Roll Radio? Where were you that groovy day when your radio played … 

Let’s Celebrate MARCH 1975 with Luck to All & … 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 “X”: @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^TM series, available on Amazon: Book 1 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The First Five Years 1954-1959^TM (eBook only; coming soon in updated print edition) and Book 2 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The Swinging Sixties^TM (eBook & print). Coming soon-ish … Book 3 – The Psychedelic Seventies!^TM 

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. This site is wholly owned by LinDee Rochelle & sponsored by PenchantForPenning.com^TM. 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! 
            01/01/25: The Blast from Your Past site has never and will never (knowingly) be written or assisted, by Artificial Intelligence. It’s just stupid ol’ “I” and I enjoy writing these articles. They soothe my soul. So why would I hand that indulgence over to an artificial, soulless entity that can’t feel pleasure?!

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Rock Radio 50 Years Ago ~ DECEMBER 1974

It’s the Holidays & We’re Rockin’ the Man in the Moon   

So, let’s see what I managed to pull out of the annals of Rock & Roll history … 50 Years Ago this Month … 

DECEMBER 1974 Radio News & Muse ♪ 

December 6^th: The first week of December we’re either thinking about Christmas and Holidays with the family, or the blowout New Year’s Eve party to ring in 1975—or both! On this day, George Harrison (1943-2001) likely anticipated a better reception to the release in the UK of “Ding Dong, Ding Dong." The New Year’s sing-a-long song was released so late in December—in the US on the 23^rd—that if it made the charts, it likely missed New Year’s parties.
       Granted, I made only a cursory search on it and found no US charts in January 1975 with the song listed. The lyrics are said to have taken George several years to create from two lines of verse carved into a stone fireplace of his nineteenth century drawing room. The song’s video is interesting, but curiously weird. I know George wrote better songs. ♪ … Yesterday, today was tomorrow | And tomorrow, today will be yesterday | So ring out the old | Ring in the new | Ding Dong, Ding Dong … ♪     

December 12^th: Although tensions were high and Mick Taylor was obviously frustrated, apparently members of The Rolling Stones were surprised when he left the band after six lucrative years. What better setting to quit than a Holiday party? The sentiment went, “What, is he insane? No one’s ever left the band before!” First time for everything … 

December 31^st: New Year’s Eve is often full of starry-eyed hope and renewed determination for life renewal. That works for bands, too. After several tumultuous years, Fleetwood Mac made a great decision to start out their 1975 New Year with a new sound. Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined Fleetwood Mac on this date in 1974. What a fun, Rockin’ New Year’s Eve party that must have been in Fresno, California, that included Rare Earth and Montrose. Were you there?   

On Your Tinny Transistor Radio ♪  
Was anyone spending Christmas and New Year’s Eve in Hawai’i, December 1974? I hear it’s the best month of the year there. Wolfman Jack must have thought so too, as he made the cover of KPOI/Honolulu surveys for December 1974 and January 1975. Nevermind that his shows were syndicated … if you were there, here’s a sample of what you heard on KPOI …

Since I have only one December 1974 Rockin’ radio survey in the BFYP Collection, there’s no point in teasing you—this month’s Featured Radio Survey is, indeed, KPOI/Honolulu, Hawai’i.  

The December 20, 1974 “Records of Hawaii” survey #344, pictures DJ Maxx MahiMahi and Wolfman Jack, which will be followed in January, by survey #346, continuing a fun, vintage image of life 50 Years Ago in Rock & Roll music—Hawaiian style. When he ushers in 1975, Wolfman Jack appears again on the cover, this time, hamming it up in a festive, New Year’s party hat.   

While Wolfman is legendary and stories abound about his antics, Maxx MahiMahi, was also known over a lengthy broadcasting career as … John Yount (given name) aka and maybe best known as Big John Carter, reportedly beginning at KPRI/San Diego in 1966 … and fired after his first day. Hmmmm … undaunted, he hit up a plethora of stations as Don Irwin, Spanky Elliott, and his longest-running, Big John Carter began in KYNO/Fresno (1969). There were more, mostly one-year gigs along the way.   

Likely looking for another new start, we find John at KPOI/Hawai’i “The Poi People” in 1974 as Maxx MahiMahi, but it was short-lived as he returned stateside to Los Angeles’ KHJ, again known as Big John Carter in 1975. By 1986, as Jay Crosby, John was at the helm of Jayman Productions until his death in 2005. 

Now, I know for a fact that KPOI still existed as a pop Rock station through January 1975, as I have a printed vintage radio survey to prove it! There is sketchy-to-no history though, after the ARSA music chart displayed for March 28, 1975 …  

Speaking of surveys, every once in a while, a chart anomaly, thanks to lazy or busy radio station personnel, makes it that much more valuable … KPOI had plenty of room for the full title of the Stylistics’ #2 tune, but left “It” out in this survey’s listing: “Let’s Put All Together.” Gotta love it …

And where were we headed for New Music in January 1975? Look next month for “Get Dancin’” by Disco Tex & the Sex-o-Lettes! Obviously a contender for our Quirky Band Name Award. Can’t wait …

December ‘74 Song of Note ♪

       If November is the month of gratitude, then surely, December is the month of nostalgia … looking back, making wishes, and moving forward. With music a conduit of emotions, it was tough to choose this month’s Song of Note. 
       I was first attracted to The Three Degrees’ “When Will I See You Again”—a question that will likely be asked many times over, around the globe, fifty years after it settled into the #3 spot on “KPOI Records of Hawaii” survey, December 20, 1974. A seemingly simple song of love and angst, it delved deeper with every stanza, as its unique lyrics were composed only of questions. ♪ … Are we in love or just friends? | Is this my beginning | Or is this the end? … ♪    
        As I scanned the December survey, my eye caught site of #9 (down from #6), as another Song of Note contender in “Puka Shells” by Rod Young. Not exactly a Holiday tune, but it is sentimental, and it evoked personal memories, as I happily recall my mother and I stringing puka shell necklaces on her front lawn, to sell to friends and neighbors, in the summer of 1974 … Rod and Hawaiian composer, Lani Kai (George Clarence Dennis James Von Ruckleman Woodd III; phew! That’s a name!), rode the gigantic wave of puka shell popularity and by December, had a hit song. ♪ … I give to you | My puka shells | There is nothing more | I have to offer you | My love, my life | And a string of puka shells … ♪    
       However, I strayed out of the Top Ten and discovered Harry Chapin’s (1942-1981) wistful and reflective tune that every loving, hard-working parent, in every generation, can relate to, especially during the Holidays. Debuting at #30 on KPOI’s survey is tearjerker, “Cat’s in the Cradle.” December 1974’s, BFYP monthly Song of Note. It is no less nostalgic in 2024.
       As often happens, parent/child roles indeed, reverse over the years. Listening to Chapin’s #1 tune-to-be, yesteryear’s children may well identify with its very profound lyrics … Sadly, Chapin died in an auto accident at a youthful, 38 years old; son, Josh, had not yet reached the age of ten … ♪ … But it's sure nice talking to you Dad | And as he hung up the phone it occurred to me | He'd grown up just like me | M’boy was just like me  … ♪    

♪ December ‘74 Quirky Band Names ♪  

While some pockets of the country this month may see three-degree weather, in December 1974, we heard The Three Degrees* lament, “When Will I See You Again,” as we headed once more, toward the New Year. (*Note: Not a secure link, but seems benign.)
      The Philadelphia soul group’s simple, sentimental song struck a chord with radio listeners, and it became their intro tune to the Top Ten, making #3, up from #5, for the 1974 Holidays. Now, it’s listed at #67 on Billboard’s 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.
      What’s even more interesting about the trio is … they’ve always been a trio … though more than a dozen women have drifted in and out of their limelight. Beginning with Fayette Pinkney, Shirley Porter and Linda Turner, they’re now headlined by Helen Scott, Valerie Holiday, and Freddi Poole. In early November 2024, several of The Three Degrees (including current three) were feted at WMEL Radio, “Honoring the Legends of Soul And R&B” with a black-tie ceremony. And still, they ask the most poignant of Holiday questions  ♪ … When will I see you again? | When will we share precious moments? … ♪    

 December 2024 Music Events & More ♪    

Tuesday ~ December 31^st: Party on! Hmmmmm, couldn’t find anything fun to promote this month’s events and news, so … since the Holidays and New Year’s Eve is when Rock & Roll is at its shiniest, check out a list of popular hot spots … BFYP is based in SoCal, so this link works for us, but there are parties galore across the country, like Nashville, Tennessee, Orlando, Florida, and Seattle, Washington. Find your party place & see ya next year! 

BFYP Featured Radio Survey ♪♪  
DECEMBER 20, 1974 ~ K-POI’s “Records of Hawaii” music chart takes center stage as our Featured Radio Survey from the “Rock of Honolulu.” Were you relaxing on one of Hawai’i’s balmy isles listening to your tinny transistor radio? Whether you were swinging in the morning sun or listening to Wolfman Jack while staring at the starry sky, you were hearing the future iconic music of the era … 50 Years Ago this Month in Rock & Roll Radio! Where were you that groovy day when your radio played … 

 Let’s Celebrate DECEMBER Holidays 1974 … 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 “X”: @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^TM series, available on Amazon: Book 1 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The First Five Years 1954-1959^TM (eBook only; coming soon in updated print edition) and Book 2 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The Swinging Sixties^TM (eBook & print). Coming soon-ish … Book 3 – The Psychedelic Seventies!^TM 

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. This site is wholly owned by LinDee Rochelle & sponsored by PenchantForPenning.com^TM. 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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