Play List Adds 5/08

One Of The Guys – Vinnie Monte • A “teen idol” wannabe – Vinnie recorded for MANY labels, but never achieved chart success.  This cute Song You Should Have Heard is about other singers who DID make it.

Little Boxes – Womenfolk • The shortest song to hit the Hot 100 – written by Pete Seeger.

Come With Me To The Sea – Tymes • The Fabulous Flipside of “Wonderful Wonderful”.

Your Big Brown Eyes – Bobby Comstock • NONE of Bobby’s charted hits compare to this great teen Song You Should Have Heard from 1961.  My favorite tune by Bobby.

Armstrong – John Stewart • It’s hard to believe this only hit #74 on the Hot 100.  History is put to music with John’s interpretation of the first man to walk on the moon.

Four On The Floor – Shut Downs • This car song just made the Bubbled Under chart at #131 in 1963.

The Happy Whistler – Don Robertson • We go back to 1956 for this Hot 100 hit that peaked at #6.

I’m Gettin’ Married – Jamie Coe • The late George Covalas from Michigan with a Song You Should Have Heard from 1961 on the ABC-Paramount label.

Nola – Billy Williams • Ex lead singer of the Doo Wop group “The Chairoteers”.  This effort climbed to #39 on the Hot 100.

I Remember Dear – Tune Weavers • Margo Sylvia takes the lead on this Song You Should Have Heard.

Red Don’t Go With Blue – Jimmy Clanton • Bubbled Under at #115 in 1963 on Philips records.

T-Shirt – The Crickets • Released in 1988, this Song You Should Have Heard was aimed at the Country charts, despite being produced by Sir Paul McCartney.  Almost 30 years after the “day the music died”.

Can’t Help But Wonder Where I’m Bound – Kingston Trio • The group left Capitol for Decca and this 1965 version of the Tom Paxton classic is a Song You Should Have Heard.

Whoever Finds This I Love You – Mac Davis • We move to 1970 with this Hot 100 effort from Mac that peaked at #53.  Both Steve and I have always liked this song.

All Winter Long – Sherry Starlyn • Local songstress with a Song You Should Have Heard from 1964 on the Cleveland label, Sunburst.

Jane Morgan – With Open Arms

Here’s ONE of the songs on our play list - The Honor Roll of Hits

Jane Currier was born on Christmas day, 1920 in Boston Massachusetts, although she was raised in Florida. She later trained as a lyric soprano at the Julliard School of Music in New York City. Jane not only had a clear, strong voice, but also could sing in many languages. Jane was spotted in a night club and was whisked to France, where she became very successful. When she returned home, she was in demand on television and the night club circuit as “The American Girl From Paris”. She hit the Hot 100 five times. “With Open Arms” peaked at number 39 in 1959. I remember hearing it quite a lot on Cleveland radio when I was growing up, and always liked the song. That’s why I decided to share it with you. Listen for Jane on TUNEDEX MEMORIES

With Open Arms – written by Burt Bacharach & Hal David

(Ah-blinka-chunk)

I wait with open arms
Down by the river where the boats come in
And when the boats come in
I run to him with open arms

Although he’s on the shore
His heart is still a hundred miles at sea
But then he kisses me
And I can tell he’s mine once more

All night I hold him tight
He’s mine until the dawn
Then when the fishing boats go out again, he’s gone
Gone away and…

I pray all through the day
That he’ll return and make my life begin
And when his boat comes in
I run to him with open arms

All night I hold him tight
He’s mine until the dawn
Then when the fishing boats go out again, he ’s gone
Gone away and…

I pray all through the day
That he’ll return and make my life begin
And when his boat comes in
I run to him with o-pen arms

(Down by the river where the boats come in
A blinka-chunk!)

Kenny Karen – Sixteen Years Ago Tonight

Here’s ONE of the songs on our play list - The Honor Roll of Hits

Kenny Karen’s singing talent landed him a recording contract with Columbia records. After three releases he was let go as an artist, but managed to survive and keep alive his budding writing career. Kenny paid his rent by singing demo recordings for a variety of music publishers who were attempting to place their music with major selling artists. During this period he became friends with Neil Diamond and Tony Orlando and spent a great deal of time in the “other” Brill Building. This background proved to be just what he needed to break into the jingle business.

Kenny was the recipient of NARAS’ “Most Valuable Player” award for six consecutive years, and is the only male studio singer ever to be honored with MVP Virtuoso Award, acknowledging his many years of achievement in the jingle industry. Kenny’s voice has ultimately been heard on more than 15,000 radio and television commercials. He remains the last link of studio singers combining the artistry of the “golden years” with the ever-changing world of pop music.

Today, Kenny is a devoted husband and father and devotes his musical attentions to the music of his upbringing and heritage, Jewish music. Long ago however, Kenny co-wrote with Howard Greenfield and Jack Keller one of the best “teen” songs I never heard before. You’ll get to hear and enjoy this tune on TUNEDEX MEMORIES

Jimmy Griffin – What Kind Of Girl Are You

Here’s ONE of the songs on our play list - The Honor Roll of Hits

Jimmy was born on August 10, 1943 in Cincinnati Ohio, but shortly after, his family moved to Memphis. He was inspired to develop his musical talents at the tender age of 7 after spending some time with a couple guys who lived across the street. The neighbors? None other than Dorsey and Johnny Burnette. While Jimmy was honing his performing skills, the Burnette brothers moved to California. After he graduated from high School in 1962, he visited Dorsey in Hollywood.

Dorsey was signed to Reprise at the time and introduced Jimmy to his producer Steve Venet. Steve and Jimmy wrote several songs together, but then Steve left Reprise. He was replaced by Jimmy Bowen and by September 1963, Jimmy was signed and recorded his first album.

Backing Jimmy on “Summer Holiday” was Leon Russell on piano, Glen Campbell on guitar and Hal Blaine on drums. While I enjoyed his cover of the title track, I chose to put the original by Cliff Richard in rotation on our play list, the Honor Roll of Hits.

Jimmy recorded many great Teen sides during his stint at Reprise, with “What Kind Of Girl Are You” being one of my favorites. I liked the Bobby Vee-like arrangement and Jimmy’s voice seemed to be a perfect fit for the song.

Jimmy never became the Teen Idol Reprise thought he’d be, but rebounded well as he co-founded the group Bread with David Gates, Robb Royer and Jim Gordon in 1968.

Jimmy had an impact on country music after Bread disbanded. He teamed up with Randy Meisner and Billy Swan to form Black Tie. They hit the country charts with the Buddy Holly penned single “Learning The Game”. He hit the Country charts three more times in the early 90’s with the group The Remingtons.

James Griffin died of cancer on January 13, 2005. He is survived by his wife Marti, daughter Alexis and son Jacob. This multi-talented singer, writer and producer will be missed. In addition to this song, listen for “She Used To Be Mine”, “My Baby Made Me Cry”, and “Running To You” on TUNEDEX MEMORIES.

Leapy Lee – Little Arrows

Here’s ONE of the songs on our play list – The Honor Roll of Hits

Lee Graham aka Leapy Lee is a one-hit wonder. “Little Arrows” was written by Albert Hammond and managed to top the charts in 18 countries, enjoying global sales of nearly 3,500,000. This Decca release peaked at #16 on the Hot 100. Visit the official website of: http://www.leapylee.co.uk/

There’s a boy, a little boy
Shooting arrows in the blue
And he’s aiming them at someone
But the question is at who?
Is it me or is it you?
It’s hard to tell until you’re hit
But you’ll know it when they hit you
Cos’ they hurt a little bit

Here they come falling out of the blue
Little arrows for me and for you
You’re falling in love again, falling in love again
Little arrows in your clothing
Little arrows in your hair
When you’re in love you’ll find those little arrows everywhere
Little arrows that will hit you once
And hit you once again
Little arrows that hit everybody, every now and then

Wow ho ho the pain

Some folks run and others hide
But there is nothing they can do
And some folk put on armour
But the arrows go straight through
So you see, there’s no escape
So why not face it and admit
That you love those little arrows
When they hurt a little bit

Here they come falling out of the blue…

Jerry Wallace (1928 – 2008)

Smooth voiced pop-turned-country singer/guitarist/actor Jerry Wallace died May 5 at his home in Corona, Ca. of congestive heart failure. He was 79. Wallace is survived by four children and two grandchildren. A memorial service will be held May 9 in Corona, Ca., with burial to follow in Riverside, Ca.

Jerry Wallace was born in Guildford, Missouri on December 15, 1928, and grew up in Glendale, Arizona.

Wallace began his recording career in 1951 with Allied. Seven years later, after switching to Challenge Records, he broke onto the charts with How the Time Flies, which reached number eleven. A year later, he released the biggest hit of his career with Primrose Lane, which went to number eight. Interestingly, while both were very pop oriented, they crossed over onto the R&B charts and peaked at numbers eleven and twelve respectively.
In 1964, at the end of his time with Challenge, he once again challenged the upper parts of the charts with In the Misty Moonlight. While the single stopped at number nineteen on the pop charts, it ascended to number two on the Adult Contemporary. In total, Wallace placed thirteen singles in the top 100 between 1951 and 1972.

The following year, after signing a short term deal with Mercury, Wallace started to venture away from pop and toward a modern country sound. His Life’s Gone and Slipped Away was not a huge hit, but it did give him his first break on country radio. Wallace would continue to have minor hits on both Mercury and Decca until 1972 when he recorded a song for the series Rod Serling’s Night Gallery. If You Leave Me Tonight I Will Cry went to the top of the country charts and was followed just a few months later by the number two single Do You Know What It’s Like to Be Lonesome.

For the balance of the 70’s, Wallace would have ten more country hits on MCA, BMA and 4 Star before his popularity began to wain. He was also awarded the 1972 Male Vocalist of the Year by the Country Music Association.

Jerry also composed music for film and television, and appeared in films including “Flipper’s New Adventure” and “Goodbye Charlie.” He also worked on music for other television shows, including “Daniel Boone” and “Hec Ramsey.” Beyond recording, Wallace acted in films like Goodbye Charlie.

Listen for Jerry’s pop hits on TUNEDEX MEMORIES.

Radio Stations….

I’ve only worked at two REAL radio stations.  The first one was located in a High School, and the donated, salvaged or stolen equipment was held together by rubber bands and bubble gum.  No glamour, no glitz.   The second was a free standing building but oh so tiny and cramped for the number of people attempting to work there.  There were nice vehicles in the parking lot, mostly from trade-outs.  The equipment, while not as bad as the first, was still obsolete and had the familiar feel of operational uncertainty.

TUNEDEX MEMORIES comes to you from my “office”, the spare upstairs bedroom. Based on my “professional” experience, I feel right at home.  Various pieces of equipment, accumulated over 25 years or so, comprise the bulk of our “operations” center.  The station “server” is about the only new addition to the room that occupies about 80 hours of my life each week.

For legal enthusiasts, we are classified as a “hobby” station.  No commercials, no income.  I will eventually get around to adding a shameless request for contributions to offset our costs via PayPal, but I want to get the “specialty” shows running first.  I’m hoping we have many new listeners who tune in for the unique play list of tunes, and the good news is, if you like what you hear, wait until you hear what Frank, Steve, and Kenny have to offer.

With all the political hyperbole, financial doom and gloom, the sharp rise in the cost of gas and food, I must admit, I’ve taken solace in my own creation.  Even though I’ve chosen each song myself, I find myself listening to the station while I work for the escape value if nothing else.

With no assistance from my aching joints, I get through each day with a lot of help from the wonderful music of my youth.  My approach to daily stress is compounded by my OCD.

• I live and die with the Indians and wonder if I will be around long enough to see them win a World Series.
• I worry how my kids and grandsons will cope with the ever changing world around them.
• I feel a sense of helplessness as sickness and obituaries become a larger part of my life.

But then, I realize that my efforts have touched another person’s life and it’s all worthwhile.

When I get around to begging for money, this statement will become invalid, but for now, if you want to help us, please just help spread the word.  Please let your friends know that they can go back to some of the most special times of their lives, all they have to do is listen.  We have all the scenarios covered.  Love triumphs, love fails, school was great, school was horrible, dances, football games, cars, hanging out with your friends, your life will literally unfold before your eyes if you just listen to the words.

In my mind, the image of a spinning 45 represents a “circle of life” of sorts.  For a lot of us, our lives began with music.  As our turntables slow down, these tunes can allow us to  relive every moment.  Let us take you back to a time in your life when you didn’t have a care in the world…. just listen to TUNEDEX MEMORIES!

Dan Fogelberg (1951-2007)

I love the music I grew up with. The music of the late 50’s and early 60’s will ALWAYS be my favorites. However, I didn’t stop listening to music as I grew older. I had favorite singers in the 70’s and 80’s also. By the 90’s, I was pretty much done adopting new artists, but I was always a sucker for singer/songwriters. Carole King, Neil Diamond, Jackson Browne and Billy Joel were artists that I bought albums sight unheard. I trusted their talent. But the “wordsmith” at the top of this list had to be Dan Fogelberg.

From the innocence and sincerity of his lyrics to the simplicity of his music, I enjoyed everything Dan recorded. His talent knew no bounds. He wrote the music and lyrics. He played the instruments. He produced the records. He even painted the artwork for the album cover. He had a loyal and faithful following and avoided Corporate greed until the mid-eighties when his label made him join the “MTV Generation”. It was that “square peg in a round hole” decision that began the decline of Dan’s commercial success.

When I started my career in radio, I called my show “The Innocent Age”. I stole that from Dan. His two-record album of the same name included the hits “Same Old Lang Syne”, “Hard To Say”, “Leader Of The Band”, and “Run For The Roses”. This album makes my All-Time Top Ten list. If you’ve never listened to ALL the songs, check it out, you’ll be amazed as I was.

I feel blessed that I was able to see Dan perform live. He opened for Jackson Browne at Blossom Music Center. He opened the show with an acoustic set, but the crowd grew restless and demanded the band, so he shrugged it off, and continued the show. As a fan, I felt cheated out of the intimacy he was trying to share with the audience. With an outdoor venue, intimacy usually does not prevail, but I cherish the memories of that concert. I’ll never grow tired of Dan’s music. Dan made my life better for knowing him through his music. I never met my father and I still weep when I hear Dan’s moving and loving tribute to his father, “Leader of the Band”.

Dan battled prostate cancer for almost three years before he succumbed on December 16, 2007, at the age of 56. He is survived by his wife, Jean. Donations in Dan’s memory at the ProstateCancerFoundation.org website have raised over $40,000! Jean Fogelberg has announced on Dan’s website that a CD will be released this fall containing 11 previously unreleased songs called “Love In Time”. Dan is gone, but his music lives on.

Listen for Dan’s interpretation of “Rhythm of the Rain” on TUNEDEX MEMORIES