Rock Radio JANUARY 1974 Time in Continuum

2024 Rock Enshrines Time in Continuum 

Happy New Year Rockers and welcome to another twelve months of Rock & Roll memories! Join me as we continue our journey through the Psychedelic Seventies^TM with the radio stations and dynamic DJs who brought you the music 50 Years Ago this Month^TM … enjoy a New Year’s trip down Memory Lane! Rock On …

JANUARY 1974 Radio Muse & News ♪ 
“By the mid-1970s, it was impossible to tell a Republican from a Democrat from a hippie. Everyone wore their hair long and their jeans flared,” says one dedicated ‘70s site. In turmoil, much like today, 1974 began with leftover lies from the Watergate investigation that would culminate in President Nixon’s resignation by mid-year. Fittingly, protest songs and flamboyant, vibrant attitudes were in, hippies and the laid-back culture were out. In Your Heart | You Know | He Knew …

We’re looking at music chart list toppers like “The Joker” (Steve Miller Band) and Coven’s third remake of 1969’s “One Tin Soldier.” It’s worth learning the lyrics of this one. ♪ … Now, they stood beside the treasure | On the mountain dark and red | Turned the stone and looked beneath it... | "Peace on Earth" was all it said … ♪     

If you know much about California radio stations, you’ll know where long-time DJ, Al Anthony, spent most of his career, and our January 1974 Song of Note will urge you to think about the times of your life. A little about life back in the day …

January 3^rd: Bob Dylan stepped up his rhetoric with the The Band, opening their massive concert tour at Chicago Stadium—his first since 1966. Always the acoustic guru, the tour was also his first backed by an electric band. Guess the political atmosphere sent him out again, into the loud, tempestuous world …

January 17^th: Court and Spark, Joni Mitchell’s first album release in two years, is a mixture of love and angst, with a little jazz infused into her folk-rock style. It was destined to become her all-time best album, with the March release of “Help Me,” a first top-ten for her, reaching out to us in lyrics audiences identified with ♪ … Help me | I think I'm falling | In love again | When I get that crazy feeling | I know I'm in trouble again … ♪     

January 18^th: Shhhh, maybe if we say this quietly, it won’t make us wig out like we did in the last half of the 1970s … Eddie Kendricks’ (co-founder of The Temptations) “Boogie Down,” released in December 1973, began climbing the charts. It showed up at #33 on WCFL/Chicago’s chart January 18, 1974. Not so unusual, except it’s notable for ushering in the Disco era. The infectious dance pop music forever changed radio charts (and dare I say, Radio DJs) by the time it classically ended in 1979.

On Your Tinny Transistor Radio ♪  

Where were you bein’ rowdy and Rockin’ in January 1974? Philly, Denver, SoCal? Here’s a sample of what and who you were listening to …

This month we feature a survey provided by an oft-posting contributor on the incredible data collection site of ARSA (Airheads Radio Survey Archive).

I was going to settle for yet another WCFL vintage survey—they’re plentiful—but yes, you can have too much of a good thing when trying to write a relevant blog. Finally found the fun January 18, 1974, survey for KFXM, in my home state of California, that boasts a “Jock Talk” report on the back, by none other than longtime DJ boss, Al Anthony. 

KFXM/San Bernardino, California, is a frequent mention in my BFYP book series, with many a DJ honing their skills early on, at the small, but influential station in the San Bernardino mountains. Even, Chicago’s own Larry Lujack (1963). It’s true! Larry is never far from our 1970s ruminations of the good ol’ days of Rock Radio! Other notable DJs who kissed the mic at KFXM include Gary Marshall (1966), Bruce Chandler (1971), and of course, Al Anthony (better known to family as Almondo Antonio Vincenzo Fiori) who made a career of it from 1965 to 1984.

Monthly Song of Note ♪ 
It’s time to turn another page of life as we celebrate the end of the old and on with the new … a musical illustration of time in continuum. January 1974’s Song of Note enshrines time as a fitting tribute to the New Year …

Jim Croce’s “Time in a Bottle” climbed steadily in December to arrive at #11 on KFXM’s January music chart. By contrast, Chicago’s WCFL fans had already pushed it up to #6 and still climbing. The sentimental song transcended and suspended time, space, and even Croce’s life. Released posthumously after his September 20, 1973, plane crash, its lyrics echo an eerie truth that cut short an incredible career at its peak.

Give it a listen as we end a tumultuous year and slide into the beginning of a new unknown … ♪ … But there never seems to be enough time | To do the things you want to do | Once you find them … ♪ See more tuneful tidbits to manifest your memories or enjoy the ambience of 1974 and keep the Rock Rockin’ from 50 Years Ago this Month!

Quirky Band Names ♪
Quirky Band Names dwindle amongst self-titled artists, leaving only one band of interest this month. Black Oak Arkansas sounds more Country than Rock, but this was also a major decade of crossover tunes. Considered “Southern Rock,” which is a genre that fostered Rock & Roll, their name is a not-so-subtle tribute to their hometown. The band members gravitated toward off-the-wall monikers from the first, “The Knowbody Else.”

Not only was the group name a backyard creation, but original member nicknames came in with: Rickie Lee—or Risky or Ricochet—Reynolds on guitar, Ronnie—Chicky Hawk—Smith handling vocals, Wayne—Squeezebox—Evans banging the drums, Harvey—Burley—Jett another guitarman, Pat—Dirty—Daugherty bringing up the bass, and Stanley—Goober Grin—Knight also strumming guitar. Ah, and then they decided another front man needed to replace Ronnie so he could focus on stage production management. In saunters James—Jim Dandy—Mangrum. Hence their #27 and climbing hit at KFXM, “Jim Dandy”! ♪ … I'm Dandy, the kind of guy | Who can't stand to see a little girl cry | Jim Dandy to the rescue! … ♪   

January 2024 Music Events & More ♪    
There are a few January events we feature every year that keep the Oldies Rockin’. 

January 5^th – 8^th: Still riding on June 2022’s highly regarded Elvis movie popularity, Graceland added even more guests to the 2024 Elvis Birthday Celebration. Although most of it is accessed through a visit to Graceland, their website also offers fun and frolic for the occasion. Perennial radio and television personality, Wink Martindale, will be appearing, along with others who were there in the beginning of Elvis’s historic career.

January 20^th: It’s National Disc Jockey Day! Yes, it’s a thing. The primary sponsoring link, however, is a Wikipedia tribute to Alan Freed, so we’ll just celebrate it in our own way … with an appreciative nod to the 40+ Disc Jockeys I interviewed for the Blast From Your Past book series, and the consummate DJ it’s dedicated to …

January 21^st: Wolfman Jack’s birthday!! He’d be 86 today (1938-1995) and if you’re an avid radio fan and haven’t read his book yet, what are you waiting for? Have Mercy! Confessions of the Original Rock ‘n’ Roll Animal needs to be on your book list. Its timeline is a bit jumbled and a few facts may be blurred with fiction, but it’s in his voice and what a voice that was! (Image: Wolfman Jack & San Diego’s own celeb DJ, Shotgun Tom Kelly!)   

BFYP Featured Radio Survey ♪♪
JANUARY 18, 1974 ~  KFXM/San Bernardino, California ~ Smart promotions with “Jock Talk” on back of their music chart. Al Anthony not only previewed local DJ events, but crammed in a how to host your own DJ Record Hop, what tunes were Future Hits, and even that Elvis had his 39^th birthday! Fun stuff … 50 Years Ago this Month in Rock & Roll Radio! Where were you that groovy day when your radio played …

Let’s Celebrate JANUARY 1974 and … Cheers to Your New Year!

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^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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