I was doing my DJ thing in the Cleveland market when Lenny's version of "Breaking Up...." hit the air waves and it got a lot of play where I was.  There was a lot of Love for Lenny when he was part of the great "Doo Wop" revival on PBS back in 1999-2001.  "Since I Fell For You" is truly one of the classics of the 1960's and I enjoy hearing it as much today as I did playing it on the radio back then.

I was in training for the Air Force back in 1960 in Texas when Roy Orbison, Mark Dinning and Johnny T. were doing a concert on a Saturday night.  My buddy and I had gone to town early that afternoon to hang out and be among the early arrivals at the concert hall.  We were in the local record shop going through the racks when Johnny walked in to visit with the store.  I managed to shake his hand and thank him for his records.  "Why Do I Love You So' had been played a lot on KRLA (Los Angeles) that year and "Poetry In Motion" had just come out and you could feel the power in that one. I played many of his records in my DJ days and really enjoyed them.  Thanks you Johnny for the music and the memories.  R.I.P.

Melba did sneak onto the Billboard Top 40 for one week in June of 1974.  It peaked at #39.  It did hit #1 on the Country Chart!

It was 30 years ago this month that Wolfman Jack passed away.    In my opinion, he kept "Oldies Music" alive and well with the best of them.  So let's "Clap For The Wolfman, he's gonna rate your record high!"

 For whatever reason I can't explain, one of my favorite Christmas treats is hearing Karen Carpenter sing "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town".  I find her singing reaches in to a solitary part of my mind and soothes my anxieties of the day.  I'll also mention another favorite..."The Bells Of St. Mary" by Bobb B. Soxx. It's the perfect example of the "wall of sound" from Phil Spector!

In the Spring of 1960 the Olympics had a huge #1 in the Los Angeles market with "(Baby) Hully Gully".  In Cashbox it only made it to #57 on their Top 100.  One year later, a group called the Vibrations who had reached #29 with "The Watusi" took the same melody and backing as the "Hully Gully", changed their name to the Marathons, changed the lyrics to "Peanut Butter' and reached #21 in Cashbox.

So very sorry to read of the passing of Sandy Posey.. My radio station in 1966 was KMOR in SLC, UT.  We featured a"Modified Country" format, avoiding the really "hard country" sounds of Buck Owens, Hank Thompson and the like.  We did get some static from that faction of the C&W artists, but we were the #2 rated station  in town and those that advertised with us did not complain.  We charted both "Born A Woman" and "Single Girl" by Sandy Posey because she fit our playlist like a glove.  Thank you Sandy for the music and memories!
 

Now that I am firmly in my 80's, I have noticed my musical tastes have evolved a bit.  Some examples include.....Selections from the three chart albums released by the Tymes in the 1960's where they did some great work on hits from the days of yore.  To mention a few...."And That Reminds Me", "Somewhere" & "The Way You Look Tonight"!
I'll also mention Bert Kaempfert.  I'll confess that I wasn't a fan of "Wonderland By Night" (I still feel the same) I really enjoy a lot of his later, light, uptempo songs like "That Happy Feeling", "Afrikaan Beat", & "Three O'Clock In The Morning".  The other day, I came across his album "Orange Colored Sky" (#140 in 1971).  I found one track that grabbed me by the ears, his take on the Anne Murray hit "Snowbird".  Check it out.
 

Looking back on my DJ days, I heard a number of songs that "shoulda-been" but weren't.  I'll mention a few...Two that I have seen mentioned at various internet sites are..."Peace Of Mind" and "Baby's Gone" by Gene Thomas.  Both are favorites of mine.
I've mentioned before my friendship with Randy Nauert, the bass player with the SoCal surf band The Challengers.  He sent me one of their singles back in the mid 1960's called "Before You" that I felt was a decent Top 10 offering.
My favorite version of the classic "Softly As I Leave You" was by the Nordic Trio on Dot.  I played it for a month on my show at KXLF in Butte, MT.  They had a Lettermen sound.
One that was a hit in Salt Lake City was called "The Right Boy" by Wendi.  It was on the Champ label based in Wisconsin.
Meeting the singer of "One Of Those Songs" from 1966 was one of the biggest thrills of my DJ days.  He was a Vaudville, Movie, Recording, Television, Radio and Concert star, the legendary Jimmy Durante.  That song fit him like a glove!!
 

Truly a sad day for us old timers.  In 1958, after two years on Guam with very little pop music on the radio, I spent the summer in L.A. listening to one of the all-time Top 40 stations, KFWB, Channel 98! "Rebel-Rouser" was heard many times and I became a forever fan.  In 1962, I started my DJ career in September and "Dance With Guitar Man" was one of the first songs I played that night.  Thanks you Duane for lots of music and memories.  I will remain a fan until the end!

I have been a fan of Steve Lawrence since my senior year in high school,when "Pretty Blue Eyes" and "Footsteps" were on my car radio every time I was behind the wheel.  In 1962 his "Go Away Little Girl"' hit the charts soon after I started my pro DJ career.  He had 24 total chart appearances. with 5 'Top 10's on 4 different labels.  He was the perfect guest with his appearances on the "Carol Burnett Show".  Thank you Steve for all the music and the memories!!

Back in 1966, the local music hall in Salt Lake City was bringing in many of the major recording stars of the day, and a few times I was invited out to be in a "welcoming committee" at the airport when they arrived.  One notable arrival was Jack Benny but the most memorable for me was the Smothers Brothers.  After the usual greeting and the Q&A session, I started for the door to leave.  Then I heard "Hey Jim, could you give the brothers a ride to their hotel"?  As luck would have it, I was driving a big wide-body '63 Pontiac with plenty of room so I agreed.  So it happened that I drove them to their hotel, them in the back seat with their road manager, me listening in on their conversation.  We got to the hotel and they got out, thanked me and headed in to the lobby.  The next night I saw their show and really enjoyed it.  This was before their TV show days, so it wasn't too political.  That remains one of my most cherished memories.  Thanks Tommy for all the laughs and songs.  R.I.P.

When the Beatles made their first trip to the USA for the Ed Sullivan Show,  Capitol Records dispatched one of their executives to escort the boys around town for their four day trip.  Voyle Gilmore had been with Capitol for awhile and was noted for having been the producer of 6 Frank Sinatra LP's.
During their days together, their were many chances for conversation and various topics were discussed.  John Lennon paid particular attention to financial subjects and after thinking about it determined that EMI (their home town label) had not been honest about their compensation.
Upon their return to England John quickly made his way to the EMI offices to confront the execs.  They realized that now the group had conquered America there was going to be some very serious money showing up so they quickly agreed to soothe John's anger and adjusted their financial arrangement.
However, once John left, they were on the phone to Mr. Gilmore chewing him out for revealing their "secrets" and demanding answers.  To which Voyle replied "All I did was quote them chapter and verse out of the company policy book that YOU wrote, not my problem!!"
This story was told to me by my long time friend John Gilmore, the son for Voyle Gilmore.
 

As it turns out, I also have to turn to Bob Lind and "Elusive Butterfly".  My choice is "I might have even called your name as I ran searching after something to believe in".  That would explain my 2 ex-wives and a lot of other females that drifted in and out of my life!

The other night, I was camped here on my computer, playing games and listening to music.  Suddenly, the title of a song that I hadn't thought about in at least 30 years popped into my head.  I looked it up in one of my numerous "Whitburn Books", got the artists who had done it and plugged into 'you tube' and had the fun of listening to the Hudson Brothers sing "Rendezvous" again.  I don't think we've ever mentioned them here on the board but for about 1 bright shining year they had a network TV show, a couple of hit records and toured with all kinds of hit artists of the mid 1970's.  I was even more impressed to find out they were from my neighborhood, Portland, OR.  Give it a listen and drift on back about 50 years ago when this was the hit music on the radio!  "All The Hits, All The Time!!!":