Always
News:
BFYP Rock and Roll Radio DJs: Book 1 (1950s) and Book 2 (1960s) ready at Amazon to walk you down Memory Lane, to the Golden Age
of Rock & Roll Radio! Enjoy the moment ... again.
And now, flip on the
mic, let’s Rock On …
Opening
The Doors
As we headed
back to school 50 Years Ago this Month,
Ed Sullivan likely sang “Come Back When You Grow Up”
to bad-boy band, The Doors (#1 song by Bobby Vee in Milwaukee*).
Jim Morrison lied—or
conveniently forgot his agreement—to eliminate the word “higher” in the line,
“Girl we couldn’t get much higher.” (“Light My Fire”) Sounds a
bit prudish these days, doesn’t it? It was serious business to Mr. Sullivan.
Morrison
traded one night of self-satisfaction for a really pissed Sullivan, who banned
them from the nationally popular show and cancelled the remaining six that had
been scheduled.
A
California gal, I’d seen The Doors in concert months before they appeared on
Mr. Sullivan’s show, and knew they were destined for stardom, without much help.
But that show was a hallmark of popularity for anyone fortunate to gain access
to its stage.
Obviously,
The Doors did what they set out to do—garner national fans. With that
performance, there were many opportunities other than The Ed Sullivan Show.
Having
appeared already on American Bandstand (July 22, 1967), after Sullivan, The Doors gave The Jonathan Winters Show a holiday treat (December 24th)
… but TV rather ignored them from that point.
Per
Wiki: “Morrison died at age 27 [July 3, 1971], the same age as several other
famous rock stars in the 27 Club. In 1974, Morrison's girlfriend Pamela Courson also
died at the age of 27.”
Radio
didn’t ignore The Doors! “Light My Fire” was still in the top ten on a Midwest survey*, though it had waned on
others. WABC/New York’s fans began pushing their new “People Are Strange” up
the chart that week, mimicked by KFRC/San Francisco.
In BFYP
Book 2 “The Swinging Sixties,” DJ William F. Williams talked about the merger of Rock & Roll with FM radio, during
the late ‘60s. Glad to find himself at KBLA/Los
Angeles: “I was seeing an awakening of what became known as ‘Sixties Music,’”
William recalled. “Oh yeah, I definitely want to be in on this! I want to play
the long version of ‘The End’ by The Doors, which you’re not going to hear at KHJ, KFWB, or KRLA.”
Featured Radio
Survey: *A compilation survey reported
song faves in Milwaukee and beyond in “Hot Happenings,” No. 38, September 18,
1967. Do you have a special memory from this month, 50 Years Ago? Perhaps the full chart will help you recall that
awesome day
when …
Celebrate SEPTEMBER 1967: 50 Years Ago and … Rock On!
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on Twitter: @BlastFromPastBk
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