Rock Radio MARCH 1973 Makin' Love to Making Up

From Makin’ Love to Making Up ...

If you’re over the sweet fluff of lovers’ month and ready to dive into March Madness—whatever that might mean for you—come on along as we revisit MARCH 1973 … and Rock On, 50 Years Ago this Month …

Then MARCH 1973 Rockin’ News ♪ …   
Nothing of note could be found in radio news and when that happens, I revert to general music news, of which there is nearly always something notable. Like …

March 1st: Pink Floyd’s new album, “Dark Side of the Moon” is released on this day, and took barely a month for it to register on WFIL/Philly’s radar, hitting its “Top Ten LP’s” list on their April 2^nd survey. What’s your fave tune from this celebrated album? “Money”? “Us and Them”? “Time”? Difficult task to choose … ten dynamic songs that will never leave our consciousness …
… ♪ The time is gone | The song is over | Thought I'd something more to say … ♪  

March 27^th: I’m sure you recall many great moments in music history involving the inimitable Jerry Garcia of Grateful Dead fame. This was one of his less-than-stellar, but totally Jerry days … if he just hadn’t been stopped for speeding by a New Jersey state trooper, he may have made it all the way to Massachusetts for his next gig, with his suitcase full of LSD, Marijuana and cocaine in the back of the car … ♪ What a long, strange trip it's been … ♪   
(From “Truckin’” released November 1970.)

On Your Tinny Transistor Radio ♪ …   
Three cool, vastly different, vintage Radio surveys are in the running this month for BFYP’s Featured Radio Survey.
       If you were roaming the Midwest around Cincinnati, Ohio, you likely bopped to the pop sounds of WKRQ (later parodied in the tv show, WKRP in Cincinnati). The survey I collected doesn’t have a printed date—not even the month—but my best guesstimation is it’s bringing you the “Super Q’s Top 15” for the first week of March. The fun and funky ‘70s art included a photo of “The Q’s All American Boy,” your mid-day DJ, Dan Lundy. Unfortunately, for all my research, I couldn’t find any historical tidbits on Dan.
       Were you more of a West Coaster back in the day? We head toward the Pacific Ocean to cruise the length of California from KSTN/Stockton, with a March 9, 1973, survey. Typical ‘70s style, there’s a comical, hand drawn cartoon of DJ Chuck Cannon on the cover. Chuck, your lively evening DJ, is the only redeeming factor for KSTN’s

otherwise plain (for the era) Top 40 chart. Is he the same Chuck “Boom Boom” Cannon who later worked for San Diego’s Q-106 (KKLQ/1980s)? Good question … I’ll bet a few of you know the answer …
       Speaking of San Diego, our last stop on the Featured Radio Survey train is SoCal’s KCBQ/San Diego. Sadly, there are no jocks in the March 30^th chart, but lots of 1170 cuteness in its psychedelic borders. There’s a surplus of curly-cues and squiggles, and squeezed between in artsy fashion are ankhs, music notes, celestial bodies, a funky peace symbol … almost hidden in the bottom ink is … “Do it, KCBQ it!” Cool.
       *And it’s a good bet, you were listening to the dulcet tones of KCBQ’s Shotgun Tom Kelly or Rich “Brother” Robbin’s on-air antics!  

Monthly Song of Note ♪ … 

For the shear fact that its musical tendrils reach all the way into the 21st century, “2001 Theme”—also seen as “Also sprach Zarathustra (2001)” by Deo Dato (a close version)—nearly became this month’s Song of Note. It hit the charts in February and shows up again in March still climbing to #18 at KSTN/Stockton, with its title shortened. However …  
       Interesting faux pas like misspellings and other anomalies happened often on the surveys, which can make them more interesting and valuable for collectors. Like “Little Willie” by The Sweet at #1 on WKRQ, should be “Little Willy.” It too, proved interesting … ♪ Willy drives them silly with his star shoe shimmy shuffle down  … ♪ but …
       After last month’s love-fest, I had to go with “Break Up to Make Up” by stylish The Stylistics, for the March Song of Note. It’s just one of their several hits to make the top ten of both R&B and pop radio charts. Up five rungs on WKRQ/Cincinnati it landed at #10 for the first week of March and just starting its climb at the bottom slot of KSTN’s Top 40 … First you love me, then you hate me | That’s a game for fools    

Quirky Band Names ♪ …
Did you notice the band name of the “Little Willy” tune? If you’re wondering The Sweet “what,” they were originally, The Sweetshop, a British glam Rock band making their way through the ‘70s. Aha. Though they’re at #1 on WKRQ’s chart, I think you’ll remember them best for a later ’73 song, “The Ballroom Blitz.” Need an energizing pick-me-up? This song’ll do it!
       Faces, with “Cindy, Incidentally,” clinging to #25 on KSTN’s survey, caught my eye. Who are they really? When original band members of Small Faces parted ways—Ian McLagan, Ronnie Lane, and Kenney Jones—were left, and they teamed up with Rockin’ dynamos, Ronnie Wood and Rod Stewart, to become simply, Faces.

Now MARCH 2023 Rockin’ Today ♪ ...     
March is  Music in our Schools Month! As always, BFYP celebrates this special designation, for its close relation to radio and all the music that flows through it to the communities it serves. (Remember when we got into trouble for bringing our transistor radios to school?) Many iconic musicians credit their school music programs for nurturing their budding melodic creativity. What can you do to support your local school music programs? Click the link and learn. Not much else in music/radio related items on the list. That’s not to say there isn’t more fun … 

March 14^th: Another day close to my heart of course, is Write Your Story Day. There is no official link, but check out the hints on my Penchant for Penning “Legacy” page link. It may not seem like this day is a fit for BFYP, but are you a pioneering Rock Radio DJ? Have you written your autobiography to include your years as a wild-and-crazy Disk Jockey? You don’t need to be a “Wolfman Jack” to have a fascinatingly unique story. And it doesn’t need to be published anywhere except for your close family and friends, but I guarantee you’ll have fun just in the writing and reliving the memories. Do it today!  

March 22^nd: And yep, more self-promotion happening here! This is the official 39 And Holding Day! My 39 and Holding Club site* is Blast from Your Past’s li’l sis and celebrates folks “of a certain age,” which likely includes 90% of our readers here. It’s a “just for fun” site—but then, isn’t that what aging should be—fun? Since people turn 39+ every day, how did I choose just one day to celebrate? Click here for answer! (*Um, like this blog, however, I’m still playing catch-up, so if it isn’t up to March, please be patient! There’s plenty of fun just roaming around.)  

March 29^th: Finally! A music-related special day, albeit mostly to celebrate Piano Day in all its classical glory. If you’re a piano-lover though, you enjoy playing or listening to many different genres of this spectacularly versatile instrument on the 88th day of the year—so listed of course, for its 88 sparkling keys of musical manipulation.
       While this day leans toward the formal side of piano, perhaps someone reading this would feel the need to create Rock & Roll Piano Day! It’s a whole different animal …
       With history in vaudeville, honky tonk and R&B, Rock & Roll took the piano off its staid rails and into mainstream music …
       Think, The Eagles’ “Desperado” for a prime example, to be seen on radio charts late next month, and Billy Joel’s infamous “Piano Man” debuts in the latter half of 1973. In the meantime, after an awesome February run, ”Crocodile Rock,” with its catchy piano riff by fantastic piano man, Elton John, clings tenuously to KCBQ’s top ten list, still visible at #8, and is slipping off the chart fast at #32 for KSTN.

BFYP Featured Radio Survey ♪♪ ...
MARCH 09, 1973 ~ KSTN/Stockton, California ~ of course, we’re featuring the Chuck Cannon survey! Too cute. Not only a great Top 40 lineup, but a fun, exaggerated (?) peek at life behind the mic … 50 Years Ago this Month in Rock & Roll Radio! Where were you that groovy day when your radio played …

Sláinte! MARCH 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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Rock Radio FEBRUARY 1973 Love is in the Air

It’s February 1973 and You are My Destiny   

Can you feel it, smell it, hear it? LOVE is in the air! Like the soft fur of a cuddly new puppy, the heady scent of heart-shaped cookies fresh from the oven, to the vintage song that played for your first “real” kiss … it’s February 1973!

♪ Then MONTH 1973 Rockin’ News & Views …  
It seems at first glance, this Valentine month 50 Years Ago, everything is coming up hearts and roses … on our Featured Radio Survey, fans in San Bernardino, California, favored love in all its glory, with “Love Train” (O’Jays) at #1, and “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love” (Spinners) close on its heels at #2. (KXFM “Radio 59” February 16, 1973.)

In the number three song however, Lobo threw a love lob-ball at amour with “Don’t Expect Me to be Your
Friend.” Ouch.

The glum attitude continues down the chart with “You’re So Vain” (Carly Simon) at #4, and rounding out the top five songs is the depressing-but-not, “The World is a Ghetto,” by protest band, War. Sigh, yes, love is complicated … ♪ Happiness is here, have your share | If you know you're loved, be secure … ♪  

> On Your Tinny Transistor Radio ♪     
Some months, our pioneering radio stations’ surveys practically mirrored each other from coast-to-coast. Top Ten songs showed the love fans everywhere had for the same sweet melodies, with several tunes in the list on both sides of the country.

       Other months, like this one, different cities and states varied widely in musical attitudes. Of course, there are a lot of variables, like stations receiving record releases at different times, and at that time, the attitude, likes and dislikes of the music and program directors, could affect the course of a record in any radio market.
       As distant in Top Ten tunes as they are in miles, my sample surveys for February 1973 are from the first week at KKLS/Rapid City, South Dakota, and week two at KFXM/San Bernardino, California. Only two songs made both Top Ten lists and interestingly, they’re both about love lost:
       “Don’t Expect Me to be Your Friend” by Lobo (mentioned above), comes in at # 2 for KKLS and #3 for KFXM; and “Last Song” by Edward Bear lands at #4 for KKLS and #7 for KFXM.

Monthly Song of Note ♪  
In the lovers’ month of February 1973, just as now, many radio listeners asked themselves, “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love"? The Spinners declared their love in leaps and bounds with fans at KKLS in the middle of the country, showing their passion as it climbed to #11 by February 9^th. With another week to get into the mood, the West Coast’s KFXM, pushed it up to #2 by February 16^th. ♪ … Meeting you was my destiny… ♪ 
       The song is a virtual lullaby for lovers. And just who were “Mystro and Lyric,” the lovesick lyricists credited with the hit song? None other than Atlantic Records’ songwriter brothers, Melvin and Mervin Steals.   ♪ … And honey you'll always be the only one for me … ♪

February Survey’s Dynamic DJs  
Since my Blast from Your Past books are all about Rock Radio Disk Jockeys, this is a good spot to share those who made the stations’ survey cover. This monthly feature will tell you who’s on whatever vintage survey(s) I have collected for that month, and if I can learn any new or old news about them. What a fun month to start it …
       In case you hadn’t already picked up on it, KFXM/San Bernardino (CA) and KKLS/Rapid City (SD) are the two surveys in my collection for February 1973. KKLS chose to go simple without jock pics, boasting instead, their top twenty song list, a top ten album list, and a fun ad for their “secret sound” contest. Did you win?

But hands-down, KFXM gets the FRS nod, for including a “Jock Talk” blurb in their survey, and images of all six DJs. Who was your favorite? 
       We found Doug Collins waking you up in the morning, Bruce Chandler spinning through your afternoons, Johnny Kaye, making nice in your nights, Ron Christian keeping you company all night long, and the wacky weekend DJs, Marsh Carter and Vic Moreno.
       With a quick search on the fly, only two of the six produced results for additional notes.  After a short stint at KMEN, the other hotshot station in San Bernardino, Bruce Chandler stopped for a few years at KFXM before heading south to Los Angeles. He breezed through KEZY and KIQQ and eventually found his way to KRTH around 2001. 
       The BFYP Collection of surveys places Doug Collins at KFXM as early as 1969 and I found hints that he stayed a while after 1973 as the fans’ fave morning guy.
       Any of you “oldsters” remember the illustrious “Tennessee Ernie Ford” (1919-1991)? The popular 20^th century singer and comedian found his inner “Tennessee” as a DJ in the late 1940s, at KFXM radio. I kid you not.

Quirky Band Names ...
So what do we have this month for weird, wonderful, or just plain Quirky Band Names? A heap of good fun, starting with Uriah Heep. Some of you who read the classics will recognize the character name from Dickens’ iconic David Copperfield, chosen by the band (known as “Spice”) in December 1969, when the hundredth anniversary of Dickens’ death was in the news. Their “Blind Eye” hit #6 this month at KKLS. I didn’t know then, and still don’t understand what the song was trying to say. It is truly … ♪Stranger than the sunrise … ♪  
       Brighter Side of Darkness is an odd name for an odd early boy-band style. One of many one-hit-wonders of the era, their “Love Jones” tells the darker side of love in a rambling dialogue bordering on obsessive. It resonated with enough fans at KFXM to take it to #4 before dropping it back to #11. As with other short-lived bands, there isn’t much history on them. But ya gotta love their synchronized dance moves and matching yellow jumpsuits!  
       Last but not least, have I got a “Tonic for the Soul” – it’s Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show! This Chicago R&B/soul group has a most unique and poignant story behind their name. Word is, one of the band’s founding members, Ray Sawyer, wore an eyepatch after losing his right eye in a 1967 car crash that nearly killed him. Feeling a bit like “Captain Hook” of Peter Pan fame, he urged the band to adopt “Dr. Hook”—to which their name was shortened in 1975.
       And what’s their claim to fame beyond their name? We’ve all heard (and probably sung in karaoke) “The Cover of ‘Rolling Stone’” rising from #22 to #14 at KFXM this month. Did they ever make Rolling Stones’ cover? Oh yeah, in March … but watch the video first … all the way to the end for Wolfman Jack’s comment. Then you’ll know why the magazine fed their egos, but with only three of the seven members in caricature on the cover, and a minimal caption: "What's-Their-Names Make the Cover."

> Now MONTH 2023 Rockin’ Today … 
Well, it’s difficult enough to find fun stuff to populate this section and this month’s article is sooooo late, we missed World Radio Day. It’s still included though, since we tend to celebrate everything all month anyway.

February 13^th: By its very name, World Radio Day celebrates radio on a global level, as it should. Just when we think it’s going to be usurped by technology or simple lack of interest, radio finds a way to reinvent itself and remain relevant in our lives. Enjoy it … embrace it. And don’t forget to thank your Rockin’ DJs—in whatever medium you appreciate them.
       As UNESCO says, “At the global level, radio remains the most widely consumed medium. This unique ability to reach out [to] the widest audience means radio can shape a society’s experience of diversity, stand as an arena for all voices to speak out, be represented and heard.”

February 27^th: If you’re reading this article, you likely already know about National Retro Day. Though their official NRD is the 27^th, on Facebook, they celebrate it every way, every day, all year. That’s because radio and “retro” go together and are merrily subjective, and changing with every generation. Go, take a look, enjoy and contribute!

♪ BFYP Featured Radio Survey 
FEBRUARY 16, 1973 ~ KFXM/San Bernardino, California ~ I would be no friend to our Rock & Roll Radio

DJs, if I didn’t designate KFXM as the FRS this month! After all, the survey has devoted a whole section to “Jock Talk”! And take a peak at “Music Notes” news about Mick Jagger, Bill Withers, and Alice Cooper … 50 Years Ago this Month in Rock & Roll Radio! Where were you that groovy day when your radio played …

Let’s Celebrate FEBRUARY 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 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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