Rock Radio JUNE 1972 Summer Day Dreamin’

 We’re Summer Day Dreamin’  

Welcome to summer songs of 1972! 50 Years Ago this Month we blasted away with Elton John’s “Rocket Man,” still dancing to Michael Jackson’s “Rockin’ Robin,” and learned how life-reflective a “Taxi” ride could be, with Harry Chapin.

♪ Then & Now  Rockin’ News & Views   

Taking center stage this month, the sun seems intent on warping our minds, along with our vinyl. Soulful to sensitive love songs still held tight to radio surveys’ top five spots, but we see music changing as the charts become littered with more pessimistic life musings. 

Before all the fun goes out of the first month of summer, let’s see what’s stirring in the sand, surf and asphalt of music and the DJs who played it for us, June 1972 ...

> Rockin’ News Then …  

June 9^th: Bruce! Bruce! Bruuuuuuce! Fans still scream his name though it’s been 50 Years Ago that Bruce Springsteen signed his John Henry to a record deal with Columbia Records. Wow—how time flies when you’re listening to the radio. By January 1973, Springsteen debuted Greetings from Asbury Park, NJ, which included “Blinded by the Light” and “Spirit in the Night”—neither of which were particularly popular at the time. Undeterred, Springsteen kept writing and awaaaay he went, never looking back, and still going strong. ♪ And they dance like spirits in the night (all night) in the night (all night) ... ♪   

June 10^th: So who out there was lucky enough to be at New York City’s Madison Square Garden on this night in 1972? If you were, you likely have fond memories of Elvis Presley’s opening night of a fourteen-date tour. All four of his shows were sold out but he recorded a live album, and it was available in a week! Keeping the fire burning after the tour, Elvis’s mighty single, “Burning Love” was released and would prove to be his final top ten hit on US charts. ♪ You light my morning sky | With burning love | I’m just a hunk-a hunk-a burnin’ love ... ♪ 

June 10^th: Busy day was June 10^th back in the day! Per WIKI, on this day while concert goers sang along with Elvis, radio listeners were belting out a duet with Sammy Davis Jr.’s “The Candy Man.” The tune first appeared in 1971’s fun film, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, before becoming Sammy’s biggest hit single. On this date, it reportedly hit #1 on the Billboard chart, but WABC/New York boosted it up to #1 even sooner, on its MusicRadio 77 chart for June 5^th. ♪ Talk about your childhood wishes | You can even eat the dishes ... ♪  

> Rockin’ News Now JUNE 2022 … 

Although June as International Surf Music Month wasn’t created until 2002, is sponsored on an unsecured website, and touts the prowess of East Coast Surf, of course, it had to be in the summer!
      Their link is respectfully attached to the title, but let’s face it, Surf Music belongs to Dick Dale, The Beach Boys and Jan & Dean (among many other surf-and-turf artists), from surf music’s heyday of the 1960s—on the West Coast. Grab your beach blanket, shades, and fave summer libation ... Let’s go surfin’ now | Everybody’s learnin’ how | Come on a safari with meeeeeee!

And, of course we must recognize National DJ Month! The Music Talkers ink is viable with current music news, but hasn’t posted anything new about DJ Month since 2018. It’s always disheartening to feel excitement when you come across a cause or holiday that fits you to the proverbial “T,” only to turn away, disappointed in the sponsor’s lack of enthusiasm past the first idea incarnation. I’m sure it originally launched with great fanfare ... but the thrill is gone. Never fear—BFYP is here! We’ll honor it anyway because ... well, we love pioneering Rock Radio DJs—our books prove it. 😊 

June 21^st: Grab your gui-tar, harp, horn, or sit down to the piano—today is Make Music Day! Of course, the sponsoring organization is talking about all genres of music and though we’re mostly Rock & Roll, we fully admit R&R is a melting pot of all music that went before ... so hum, strum, high, low, loud and proud ... enjoy making music today!

♪ On Your Tinny Transistor Radio   
JUNE 1972 ~ No DJs feel the love on this month’s two-fer San Diego Featured Radio Survey(s) but lots of curvy art, psychedelic style. Still, we wonder what DJs fueled their fans into a summer frenzy in other parts of the country ... who remembers Jay Reynolds spinning the platters in the WABC/New York City studios (anyone know if that was Joey Reynolds in early disguise)? If you were tapping your toes to Larry O’Brien’s picks at WCFL/Chicago, you may have helped Jackson Browne’s “Doctor My Eyes” grab #1. Or were you a little further west in Omaha, listening to KOIL with Joe Light and the Good Guys?

Monthly Song of Note  
Hooray! It’s finally summer ... we’re making time for backyard and balcony BBQs, concerts in the park, and hot love tunes on your transistor radio—well, that’s what we had in 1972. I’m swaying to Aretha Franklin’s “Day Dreaming.” Summer is perfect to dream about love—past, present, and future. After an earlier run up the KCBQ Q Hits chart to #5, by June 16, it had slipped to #11. ♪ Hey, baby, let's get away | Let's go some place, huh? | Where? I don't care. ♪  

Quirky Band Names  

Another robust rendition of “Amazing Grace” slowly made its way up the KCBQ June 16^th chart, this time by the staunch Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, arriving at #19, up four steps from previous week. If you’re into bagpipes, this expressive instrumental version is for you. Meanwhile, three soulful ladies of Love Unlimited were “Walkin’ in the Rain (with the One I Love),” about to drop off the chart at #25. But Griffin with “Music’s Calling Me” is the most baffling. It took a little digging just to find an image of the “DJ Copy Only” vinyl 45rpm record. Never did locate anything about the band—nor the Brady Brothers shown in parentheses on its label. The epitome of a one-hit-wonder-where-they-went tune.  

♪ BFYP Featured Radio Survey(s)  
JUNE 16 & 30, 1972 ~ a 2-fer from KCBQ/San Diego! This month we’re watching what songs have staying power through two fan-favorite cycles. Which tunes grabbed our top ten attention on their Q Hits for most of the month? Check out the groovy, kaleidoscopic art and hot summer tunes on two charts, with “I’ll Take You there” #1 for June 16^th and “Song Sung Blue” hitting the top by June 30^th … 50 Years Ago this Month in Rock & Roll Radio! Where were you that groovy day when your radio played …  

Let’s Celebrate JUNE 1972 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                

Original LATE post ~ LR / BFYP NOTE ♪ 06/01/22: Try as I might, just couldn’t get the blogs up on time. I did it to myself—what was I thinking, writing three blogs, all to be posted on the same day? Sigh. Please come back later today (or tonight or tomorrow) for JUNE 1972’s funtastic time ... We’re Summer Day Dreamin’! Work in progress … and Rockin’ On ... don’t touch that dial!

LinDee Rochelle is a writer and editor by trade, and author by way of Rock & Roll. Two books (of three) 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 … 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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Rock Radio MAY 1972 Blues Now & Then

BFYP BULLETIN 05/08/22: Have been trying to post this news flash for 3 days, but it was Mother’s Day weekend, ya know ... happy news! 1950s & ‘60s BFYP Rockin’ DJ, Burt Sherwood, turned 94 over the weekend! Radio’s Best Friend, Art Vuolo, is spreading the news, and the ROCK Radio community celebrates! Burt's stellar radio career turned to radio station ownership in the 1970s after learning the ropes behind the mic. As a station owner, Burt said, "I got lucky, but I knew what I wanted and I hired only people who had more talent than I did." Cheers m'dear! And now, let’s flip on the studio mic, and Rock On back to MAY 1972 ...

Once Upon a Time a ♪ Song Sung Blue ... ♪   

Yep, we all get the blues now and then, but it doesn't mean we should despair. Let's take our blue words, put ‘em in a song, and sing our way out of the blues, back to ... green or yellow, or even rosy pink! It’s a month of Oldies and goodies as you Rock your way into MAY 1972 ...

♪ Then & Now  Rockin’ News & Views 
Some months, I know, are better than others under this tag. Without a photographic memory, I usually need research to help dredge up the good ol’ days. Some days I just need to be creative. This month, you get a little of both. News to remember and views to consider, from 50 Years Ago this Month ...

¯MAY 1972 Rockin’ News Then …
May 8^th:  For one New York Times music journalist, Radio City Music Hall’s maiden voyage into Rock music on this date was mostly a colossal flop. Touted for its extraordinary acoustics for a Rock concert, in his opinion, Bill Chase displayed the most musicality and Todd Rundgren clearly fell short, as they both struggled with the Hall’s massive venue. Billy Preston apparently found mastering the monster organ more than he could handle, but still managed to harness a little praise. Were you there? Feel free to offer your comments!

May 11^th:  John Lennon and wife, Yoko Ono, were still stirring up politicians as they created their own music, sans The Beatles. This date is news as he proclaimed on the nationwide, popular Dick Cavett Show that it’s likely the FBI is tapping his phone. Did you see the show? Do you know it was true? Yes, not much has changed. This is the kind of juicy tidbit late night talk show hosts still crave. 

May 18^th:  American pop rock band Looking Glass released their single "Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)" on this day 50 Years Ago. It debuted at #23 on KHJ/L.A.’s June 6^th Top Thirty. Good thing they made a big splash with that catchy tune about a lovesick barmaid. Looking Glass only put out two albums and “Brandy” was their only million-copy single. ♪ Brandy, you’re a fine girl | What a good wife you would be, but ... ♪  ah yes, there’s always a “but.”

¯MAY 2022 Rockin’ News Now … 
Believe it or not, it isn’t always easy to unearth special days or exciting month designations we can celebrate, specific to Oldies or Rock & Roll. So, because R&R is a melting pot of many music genres, you will often find some general music fun here. Speaking of fun ...
      Thump, thump, thump, pow! It’s Drum Month! There was no official site attached to it, but I found PlayDrums.com celebrating International Drum Month with a rat-a-tat, bang! They’re offering a bang-the-drum wicked contest to win a free drum lesson with a master, on your new $200-prize of drum equipment!       

May 26-29^th: Polish up the ol’ ivories for Old-Time Player Piano Weekend! According to their site, you can look forward to this fun piano-playing contest every Memorial Day weekend in Oxford, Mississippi. Pianists compete for cash prizes ... but the catch is ... their music must be written prior to 1940. How fun is that?!
       While it may not be Rock & Roll, there’ll likely be plenty of melodies that served as catalysts for early Rock music. So limber up your fingers and let’s celebrate it! Take a musical peek from 2019 here ... 

♪ On Your Tinny Transistor Radio   
MAY 1972 ~ The Blast from Your Past Collection is crowded with nostalgic surveys for MAY 1972. Apparently spending more than I should have, I collected four notable charts, beginning with May 9^th KHJ/Los Angeles having fun with a rowdy cowpoke, DJ Robert W. Morgan riding the cover. KFRC/San Francisco’s survey for May 15^th is devoid of DJs, but an awesome sample of Psychedelic Seventies artwork. KSEA/San Diego’s May 22^nd chart doesn’t sport amiable DJs either, or even ads, it’s simply bringing you the music; and of course, our Featured Radio Survey, is WFIL/Philly’s May 15^th Top 30 classic with Dr. Don Rose on your morning ride to work.
       By the time  “Dr.” Don or just “DDR,” reached Philly, he was a seasoned DJ, having found his corny niche of zany one-liners and jangling cowbell in the ‘60s. He arrived at WFIL/Philadelphia in 1968 and by ’72, was only a year away from making the cross-country trek to what became his most celebrated gig at San Francisco’s KFRC.
       (You’ll find Dr. Don Rose’s 1960s story, plus 30 more DJs, in BFYP Book 2 ~ Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The Swinging Sixties.)

♪ Monthly Song of Note 
Some impressive songs vied for this month’s Song of Note culled from our Featured Radio Survey ... In WFIL’s May 15^th chart, Philly fans quickly pushed one of the funnest novelty songs , “Hot Rod Lincoln” (remake of Charlie Ryan’s tune from 1955) by Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, from #21 to #15, in one short week.
      But it’s Neil Simon’s mega-hit, “Song Sung Blue” that scaled the chart from #25 all the way up to #12 in just seven short days that captured my Song of Note attention! It made #1 by the June 5^th survey. Wiki quotes Neil: “I never expected anyone to react to "Song Sung Blue" the way they did. I just like it, the message, and the way a few words said so many things."
       ♪ Me and you are subject to | the blues now and then | But when you take the blues | and make a song | You sing ‘em out again ♪ 

♪ Quirky Band Names 
Not much history readily available to give us a hint of Gallery’s moniker, so we may not know why the interesting name, but we do know they formed in Detroit around 1971. While Gallery was fairly prolific in number of songs, “Nice to Be with You,” climbing the charts this month, ultimately remains the band’s most popular tune. It bounced its way up from #9 to #5 on KFRC/San Francisco’s May 15^th chart.
       April Wine’s “You Could Have Been a Lady” is slipping down WFIL’s chart, landing May 15^th at #28, tied with Detroit Emeralds’ also slow slide down with “You Want It You Got It.” Although identifying with April Wine’s delicious band name, again, there is no real background story other than the Canadian band chose the name when band members began to collaborate in 1969.
       So for those bands without easily discoverable histories of their unique name, let’s use our imaginations and put our own spin to them. When I hear the Gallery name, art, museums, and even a Zoom roomful of people pics, come to mind. April Wine ... well, April is a fine month for wine. 😊 However, now and again, we find a band with a fun meaning that forces our imaginations to conjure spacemen ...
      Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen was mentioned above for their kooky novelty hit, “Hot Rod Lincoln.” They gave the song a second life after its 1955 pop hit for singer/songwriter, *Charlie Ryan. But the band’s quirky name has a life of its own. Per Wiki, “Hot Rod Lincoln”* was their first and still, most popular song from their first album, Lost in the Ozone. Were they lost in space? Sort of ... it’s said the feature character inspired Commander Cody’s name from the 1950s Commando Cody science fiction serial. The Lost Planet Airmen got their start from a 1951 Syfy film of the same name. And now you know! (*The song too, has a great origin. Wiki tells us of its humorous birth in Charlie’s mind and yes, it is about a car.)  

♪ BFYP Featured Radio Survey    
MAY 15, 1972 ~ WFIL/Philadelphia’s Top 30 survey for May 15^th featured the inimitable DJ Dr. Don Rose, which is distinctive in itself. But adding a promo pic of Todd Rundgren on the inside chart was very smart. Especially since his “I Saw the Light” shot up 8 spots from #27 to #19 that week. The City of Brotherly Love’s fans evidently loved it. The song clawed its way up to #8 by June 5^th before starting a downward slide … 50 Years Ago this Month in Rock & Roll Radio! Where were you that groovy day when your radio played …  

Let’s Celebrate MAY 1972 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              

LinDee Rochelle is a writer and editor by trade, and author by way of Rock & Roll. Two books (of three) 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 … The Psychedelic Seventies!

Orig’l 05/01/22 intro – LR / BFYP NOTE ♪ 05/01/22: Well, here I go again ... I have a valid reason for why you’re reading this blurb rather than a full, fun and informative article for MAY 1972. (I offer reasons, not excuses 😊.) Thursday through today, I attended an intense writing event to learn the in-depth scoop on Amazon’s recent changes in their convoluted publishing model. It’s necessary to move forward in my efforts to finish and publish Book 3 of the Blast from Your Past trilogy, The Psychedelic Seventies. When will you be able to read the MAY 1972 article? Sometime very soon (hopefully, later this afternoon, PST). Have you enjoyed the antics of APRIL 1972's "Out of the Cave" yet?  Work in progress … and Rockin’ On ... don’t touch that dial!

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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