Take a good look at the following picture.


Do you know who this is?








We'll come back to this gentleman in a bit.

First, let's turn back the clock to the evening of January 12, 1966.

It was a night millions of Americans waited for with great anticipation. Mom and Dad opened up the Fischer living room to what seemed to be the entire neighborhood. My brother Greg’s friends were all there: Freddie, Rafael, Goody (Another guy named Greg’s nickname), Ronnie, and a whole bunch more I’m forgetting. (Hey, that was 42 years ago).

A big part of our young lives was about to virtually come to life before our very eyes. Man, this was going to be cool. So cool. Right there, for the very first time, on prime time television.

What would it be like?

What would he be like?

My parents, but mostly a great big group of kids were mesmerized for every moment, right up to the very end when we knew trouble, big trouble was lurking.

Batman, played by Adam West, had fallen ever so briefly under the charms of Jill St. John (The Riddler's henchwoman) and an orange juice, Batman special. Almost one half hour into the Caped Crusader's TV debut, that familiar voice told us that if we wanted to see if Batman and Robin could extricate themselves from their perilous predicament, we had no choice but to tune in tomorrow night, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel.

How incredibly cliff-hanging awesome was that!!!!!

Did we care that Adam West's Batman nowhere near resembled the Batman in the comics we raced to the neighborhood store to buy every week? Did we care that the real Batman would have never ordered an orange juice and then danced a batusi with a femme fatale? Did we care (or even realize) that this show was the campiest (i.e.silliest) on TV other than Gilligan's Island?

Holy denial! This was Batman! This was better than being stuck in the phone booth with Betty Lou Wabiszewski.

The light bulb wouldn't go on in our young brains (or all of America's for that matter) until the third season when even Batman's biggest fans, the young comic book devotees, realized the network writers were making a fool of their hero. Same Bat-time, same Bat-channel? Good luck, ABC trying to lure viewers in to the FIRST of the two-part series of episodes.

Vincent Price as Egghead?

So, back to the beginning of the blog.

Do you know who this is?







You absolutely, positively, undoubtedly know him.

For the past 42 years, this man.....

..........has been a part of your life in some form or fashion.

He's Neal Hefti.

Neal Hefti died this week. He was 85.

He never put on a crazy costume to be pummeled by the Dynamic Duo. But Hefti had just as big of a presence as the Batman cape and mask, the Bat signal, or the Batmobile.

A talented musician, Hefti wrote the the theme to the Batman TV series, a musical piece that is timeless and unforgettable.

It is so wonderfully 60's, as captured here, by a popular 60's TV show, Hullabaloo and the Hullabaloo dancers.
 

Thank you, Neal Hefti, for this fantastic piece of Americana.

It's a terrific TV theme soundtrack. But in my humble opinion, it's not the best.

Here's the greatest TV theme music.......ever.

Enjoy.

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Welcome to the final edition of Friday Night Live, our summer series looking back at old late night concert programs from the 70’s. The 70’s showcased pop stars in late-night hours on Friday, usually after Johnny Carson or some other post-10:00 news programming.  On NBC, it was the Midnight Special. On ABC, it was In Concert. Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert was a syndicated vehicle.

For the past three months, I’ve shared some of my favorite clips from those old shows. The 70’s saw popular music take all shapes and forms, but no style dominated and is more symbolic with the decade than disco. Everyone took a stab at it, even Sinatra.

Tonight on Friday Night Live, the toe-tapping, finger-snapping rhythmic funky beat of 70’s disco.

It’s hard to believe the group that gave us one the most popular wedding reception songs, “Celebration,” actually started as a jazz ensemble in the 60’s. Kool and the Gang had big hits in the 70’s, performed on the soundtrack of Saturday Night Fever (They won a Grammy), and are still touring today.

Known almost as much for their sexually provocative album covers as their music, the Ohio Players were another horn-driven band that had a slew of hits in the 70's. Their album, "Honey" had a nude woman model feeding herself honey from a jar. The inside cover showed her covered with the sticky stuff. Rumors abounded at the time that the model was murdered duringthe recording of one of the album's tracks, "Love Rollercoaster." The rumor was false. The record was a hit.








They have sold over 100 million records. They have been nominated for Grammy Awards nine times and have won three. They have also won an American Music Award. The band has been in the business for 35 years.

KC & the Sunshine Band are just about everywhere. Their songs are in ads for General Motors, Burger King, Nestlé Toll House Cookies, K Mart, Old Navy, and Nick at Night. Their music has been featured in  over 75 movies such as Forrest Gump (Get Down Tonight); Boogie Nights (Boogie Shoes); Boys Don't Cry (Rock Your Baby), Rush Hour (Get Down Tonight); Carlito's Way (Rock Your Baby, Shake Your Booty & That's the Way I Like It). You hear their tunes at sporting events, in clubs, and at wedding receptions. And KC is a loyal Republican! That's something to shake about!

That's it for Friday Night Live.

I hope you have enjoyed our trip down musical memory lane.

Long live the classics!

Good evening and welcome to Friday Night Live, our summer series looking back at late night TV concert appearances from the 70’s, with an occasional trip back to the 60’s.

Tonight’s guests performed on NBC’s The Midnight Special.

She hosted the very first Midnight Special, and would be a frequent host. Wolfman Jack, The Bee Gees, and Helen Reddy hosted more of the Midnight Special programs than any other performers.

Reddy gained instant fame with this anthem.

Let's stay with the ladies.

Before she donned arm-length white gloves and long gowns to sing old standards, Linda Ronstadt roller-skated, dated California politicans, and was a bona fide pop star.

I believe our next act performed at State Fair in 2007 and didn't look anything like this....

This next clip is quite interesting. Talk about looks changing, and they sure will in 30 years. When this vocalist was a guest on Sunday Night with Mike Gousha not too long ago, he looked extremely conservative with short hair and business-type clothing. Not so back on The Midnight Special. Todd Rundgren is actually singing and he's really playing the piano. But he's performing to a pre-recorded track in which he's playing ALL the instruments. That's right. All of them.

We close with a legend who just played State Fair and is a fine gentleman.

If your record was at the top of the charts back in the day, you were a guest on shows like The Midnight Special.








Next week, our final installment for Friday Night Live as we really go 70's on Friday Night Live.

Thanks for tuning in.

Good night!

Welcome to Friday Night Live, our summer series of nostalgia looking back primarily at late-night Friday night concert programs featuring popular music artists, shows I enjoyed watching when I was a mere child. Tonight, it's ladies night on The Midnight Special. Our special guests are Gloria Gaynor, Gladys Knight, and Donna Summer.

Gloria Gaynor was one of the first stars of 70's disco. Still rememebred today, Gaynor has performed in over 80 countries. Her signature song became an anthem for women all around the world. From Starpulse.com:

"Gaynor began issuing albums on a regular basis beginning in 1975 and with her 1976 release Never Can Say Goodbye, the singer became one of the first-ever dance artists to issue an album aimed primarily for club use (there were no breaks between the songs, as one track would automatically segue into the next), a method used to this day by DJs and certain dance artists. Although Gaynor enjoyed a few moderate hits, it wasn't until the release of 1979's aforementioned disco gem 'I Will Survive' that Gaynor racked up her first true smash hit. The song was awarded the first and only Grammy Award for Best Disco Recording in 1980 (the category was discontinued upon disco's fall from favor shortly afterward) and although Gaynor was unable to follow up "I Will Survive' with another sizeable hit, the track subsequently took on a life of its own. It remains popular in dance clubs and has appeared on countless movie soundtracks and dance/disco compilations."





It's a tribute to the women of the 70's tonight on Friday Night Live.

At the age of 4, Gladys Knight  was singing in a baptist church in Atlanta. Four years later, she was winning a prize on the Ted Mack Amateur Hour and not too long after that, forming a band with fmaily members called, "The Pips." They would open for such popular acts as Jackie Wilson and Sam Cooke.

Their big break came on Motown Records in 1967 with their version of,  "I Heard It Through Heard it Through the Grapevine." Soon came "Nitty Gritty,"  and the group started toruing as Gladys Knight and the Pips. More gold records and a TV special followed before Knight eventually began a solo career. She even did some acting in the TV series, "New York Undercover."

Knight has three children, has been married three times, and reportedly has overcome her addiction to gambling.





She was dubbed “The Queen of Disco." Donna Summer’s longevity on the disco charts was only eclipsed by the Bee Gees.

Starpulse.com says, “Few vocalists could match the sultry, unfettered eroticism Summer brought to many of her best recordings, which seemed to embody the spirit of the disco era perfectly. The total package made Summer the ultimate disco diva, one of the few whose star power was even bigger than the music.”

When she was around 20, Summer moved to Europe, did theater and opera, married Helmut Sommer, and took on an Anglicized version of his last name. Summer pumped a lot of moaning into, "Love to Love You Baby,” and it became a huge hit in Europe. Casablanca Records took notice and put the record out in America. Hit after hit followed, and when disco started to die around the end of the decade, Summer had one more winner left, “She Works Hard for the Money,” in the early 80’s.

When I was working my way through college, one of many jobs I had was an usher at what was then called the Performing Arts Center. I recall vividly working the main floor, the Orchestra section for the Donna Summer concert.

The show had started and we were still seating late-comers. A couple showed me their tickets……AA, the very front row. “Oh boy,” I thought as I saw the seat numbers: the two end seats.
Normally, that’s an usher’s delight if the show is going on; just walk the patrons in and plop them right on the end, no having to climb over people, etc.  Except in this case, I knew people were already sitting in those seats. I didn’t put them there, but I knew doggone well I had to sort this out.

I told the couple I thought someone was already in those seats, but that I would take care of it. “Follow me.”

When I got to AA, I knelt down so I wouldn’t be standing in anybody’s way. I asked the gentleman on the end to show me his tickets. He sheepishly fumbled for the stubs. When he produced them, I turned on my flashlight to get a better look at them. Just as I had suspected. He belonged up on the 3^rd floor.

“Sir, you’re not supposed to be here. Your seats are up on the 3^rd floor.” Just as I was politely scolding him, it happened. Remember, row AA is so close that the audience can reach out and touch the stage.

I looked up, and there she was, standing right above me. Tall, slender, gorgeous. She had on a dark colored, sequined, floor-length gown, slit on one side to the ceiling. Microphone in hand, in mid-song, Donna Summer had, at that precise moment, walked her way to that end of the stage and was staring right down at me, and I was staring right back.

The entire audience saw it, too, as the spotlight captured the marquee performer, and an usher with his flashlight on.

For a few seconds, I feared she might make some kind of remark or joke about this brief distraction or disruption. But she’s a star, a professional. I remember her smiling and without missing a beat, she just did an about-face and started moving down the stage to the other end.

I can’t help it. To this day, whenever I hear or see Donna Summer, the first thing I think of is, nice legs.

Water, please!


That's it for this week.


Thanks for stopping by on our summer trip down memory lane, back to the 70's with The Midnight Special...................on NBC.

In the mid-60’s, a Welsh singer had his very first hit that would rocket him to stardom. I recall hearing it often on WOKY and WRIT on my tiny little RCA transistor radio with the light brown case that I would attach to my Raleigh bike with the banana seat.

For the longest time, whenever I’d hear “Its Not Unusual,” I thought the vocalist was black. Back then, there was no Internet, no 200 cable TV channels where you could get a look at this guy. There were some monthly fan magazines, but I was busy buying Superman and the Fantastic Four. Fan magazines were for girls. Our summer Friday night concert series has focused primarily on the late night shows from the 70’s: ABC’s In Concert, NBC’s Midnight Special, and Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert. Tonight, a look at a popular TV show that ran Friday nights, in primetime on ABC, from February 1969- January 1971.

Our guest tonight is the legendary Tom Jones.

During This is Tom Jones, one of the features had Jones end each show with a mini-concert, center stage, surrounded by screaming fans (mostly women) and backed by a huge, cookin' orchestra.

You're watching Friday Night Live. This week, a look back to the ABC-TV varierty show, This is Tom Jones.

I do believe that last number Tom did was an old classic from Aretha Franklin...

Tom Jones always had some of the best names in popular music guest star on his show.






At the time of his TV show, Tom Jones was a hit machine, cranking out one gold record after another.






At the end of each show, Tom would conclude with this message in his native Welsh: "Gwyn eich byd a dymunaf i chwi lawenydd bob amser" ("May you always be well and be happy"). That's it for this week's edition of Friday Night Live. Thank you for tuning in. Good night.

Welcome to another edition of our summer late-night TV concert series, Friday Night Live. Tonight, it's a rather unusual segment because there won't be any music.

The concert programs from the 70's I've highlighted on Friday Night Live, ABC's In Concert, NBC's Midnight Special, and Don Kirshner's Rock Concert starred performers in every musical category. On occasion, the shows would also take breaks from the music and feature stand up comics.

Tonight's guests on the Midnight Special are the late George Carlin and Gabe Kaplan.

CNN.com wrote in its article about George Carlin’s death this summer, “Carlin was born on May 12, 1937, in New York. He dropped out of high school in the ninth grade and joined the Air Force, where his misfit ways continued -- he received three courts-martial and several punishments.After leaving the military, he spent a few years in radio, where he met (Jack) Burns. In 1960, the pair left to pursue a comedy career in Los Angeles.Carlin went solo in 1962. For most of the decade, he was a conservative-looking presence: clean-shaven, attired in jacket and tie, making his amused observations to audiences on ‘The Tonight Show’ and ‘The Ed Sullivan Show.’But as the times changed, so did Carlin. He let his hair down, grew a beard and dressed in jeans and tie-dyed T-shirts. It was this Carlin who became a hit with college audiences in the early '70s.”

Carlin’s arrest at Summerfest for uttering those seven nasty words onstage made national news.

From the October 1, 1976 broadcast of The Midnight Special...

 

Our next guest is Gabe Kaplan. From tv.com:

“Back in high school Gabe was a hot-shot baseball player who could hit the ‘long ball.’ Convinced by his coaches and teammates that he was major league material, he packed up his Louisville Slugger and set out to break the major league home run record. After two years he couldn't even make a minor league roster, and it was soon clear to him that organized baseball disagreed with his coaches and concluded that he was high school material.

Disappointed, Gabe licked his wounds and got a job as a bellman at a resort hotel in Lakewood, New Jersey. This particular hotel featured stand-up comedians three times a week. After several months of watching, he kept thinking the same thought. I could do that too.

With some ‘borrowed’ comedy material, Gabe criss-crossed the country to perfect his timing and hone his performing skills. Long before the comedy-club explosion, he became a regular in small nightclubs, coffee houses, and the Playboy club circuit.

He started writing his own act, developing routines based mostly on his experiences growing up in Brooklyn. His big break came when he appeared on The Tonight Show in the early seventies. He was an instant hit and was soon appearing regularly on all the many talk and variety shows on television at the time. He even did an unprecedented stand-up performance on an Emmy Award telecast.

He then created a situation comedy based on his high school class and the characters that were there with him. Instead of being their contemporary he made his character the teacher and ‘Welcome Back Kotter’ was born. After six weeks, the show made its way into the top ten and remained there for most of its four season run on ABC.”

TV.com concludes, “While ‘Kotter’ was running, Gabe became involved in the financial markets and enjoyed matching wits with Messer, Dunn and Bradstreet. His investment strategies have been written about in several leading financial magazines. Gabe also gained notoriety as a world class poker player and gambler. He was a two-time champion of both The Super Bowl of Poker and the Commerce Club's Low Ball Tournament. He won the Knights of The Round Table Champion's Tournament the only time it was held in 1986. Although he's never won a World Series of Poker event, he has placed second and third several times.”

Also from 1976…

Good stuff.

That's it for this week.

Next week, we'll bring back the bands on Friday Night Live, promise.

Hey?

What happened to the peacock?

Tonight on Friday Night Live, our guests on NBC’s The Midnight Special are Weather Report and Chuck Mangione.

During those late night concert programs on Friday nights in the 70’s, the stars of the time were featured, no matter the musical genre: pop, rock, soul, disco, country, and even though it didn’t fit the target audience, jazz……..or at least the contemporary pop-chart version of jazz.

Weather Report was one of the first bands to mix jazz with rock. From airjudden.tripod.com:

"Keyboardist Joe Zawinul and saxophone player Wayne Shorter formed the group in 1971.  Both had spent in time in Miles Davis' group - Shorter played with the legendary 1960s quintet (along with Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams).  Zawinul joined later, during the early days when Davis pioneered the fusion movement.  Zawinul was one of the early masters of the synthesizer.  Before joining Davis' group, he played electric piano in the Cannonball Adderly quintet. The sound so impressed Davis, that he hired Zawinul and made future keyboard players play the instrument.  

In addition to forming the group and composing many of their songs, they were the two constant members in the group, as many musicians passed through.  One of the most famous to pass through was bassists Jaco Pastorius.  Pastorius was a pioneer on the electric bass.  He took it from a rhythm instrument into an important solo instrument by playing with speed and grace, often dazzling audiences with his virtuosity during unaccompanied solos .  He created a slippery effect by using a fretless bass.  He has influenced countless bass players to this day. He joined Weather Report in 1976 and left in 1982, forming his own group Word of Mouth. Aside from a tremendous ego, he was alcoholic and a heroine addict.  He died tragically in 1987 after he instigated a fight at a bar and suffered head injuries.

Unlike many groups, Weather Report focused on a group sound, creating complex arrangements in addition to their improvised solos, which made it more difficult to distinguish between the soloist and accompanists, because they were virtuosos on their instruments, providing awe-inspiring solos, as well as accompaniment work.”

Weather Report’s biggest hit was Birdland, a reference and tribute to the famous New York nightclub. From birdlandjazz.com:

“It was Charlie Parker, familiarly known to his fans and fellow musicians as ‘Bird,’ a contraction of Yardbird, his formal nickname, who was the dynamic creative personality and genius of the alto saxophone who served as the inspiration for Birdland.

When the original Birdland opened in December, 1949, Charlie Parker was the headliner and the club was located on Broadway, a few blocks west of 52nd Street, which was a hotbed of jazz in the 1930s and 40s.

Birdland's booking history reads like a who's who of jazz: Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bud Powell, Stan Getz, Lester Young, Erroll Garner, and many, many others.

Considering the excitement that Birdland generated on a daily basis, it's no surprise that the club attracted its share of celebrities. Regulars to the nightly festivities included such household names as Gary Cooper, Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Joe Louis, Marlene Dietrich, Ava Gardner, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Sugar Ray Robinson.

But as a new popular music, Rock & Roll emerged, Birdland's fortunes declined in the 60's and its doors were closed on Broadway and 52nd in 1965. After many 5 am nights, the club needed to take a nap.”

Birdland re-opened in 1986, closed again, but is now back in business having hosted such acts as Oscar Peterson, Pat Metheny, and Diana Krall.

I saw Chuck Mangione live at the Performing Arts Center when I worked there as an usher in my college days. His jovial father sold merchandise out in the lobby.  Mangione still performs concerts today. His career spans five decades. From his official website:

“Mangione first attracted attention with his brother, Gap, in a mainstream jazz band, The Jazz Brothers, in which he played trumpet much like that of the man who he refers to  as his musical father-Dizzy Gillespie. In fact Dizzy gave Chuck an 'updo' horn just like his own.

Chuck's years with the Jazz Brothers overlapped with his  attending the Eastman School of Music and eventually resulted in his solo album debut.  Chuck left home to play with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, assuming the trumpet chair that had belonged to such great players as Clifford Brown, Kenny Dorham, Bill Hardman, Lee Morgan and Freddie Hubbard.

Another important step in Mangione's career development was his return to the Eastman School of Music as director of the school's Jazz Ensemble. His ‘Friends & Love’ concert with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra was recorded  live and featured ‘Hill Where the Lord Hides.’ This led to a recording contract with a major label, Mercury records, and his first Grammy nomination.

Those early years with Mercury culminated in the title tune of one of Mangione's most popular albums. Land of Make Believe, another Grammy nominee, Mangione then signed with A&M Records and delivered two extremely successful releases in one year, Chase The Clouds Away, which was used as background music during the telecast of the 1976 Olympic Games; and Bellavia ("beautiful way"), named to honor his mother, which won Mangione his first Grammy award.

During the late 1970's, Chuck received more awards and  accolades for his recordings. He reached new heights with his mega-hit single and album, Feels So Good. The 1980 Mangione entry in Current Biography called  ‘Feels So Good’ the most recognized melody since the Beatles'  ‘Michelle.’”






Thanks for watching Friday Night Live.



Hope our summer series brings back some good memories.




Cue the peacock....

Welcome once again to our summer concert series, looking back at late night concert TV shows from the 70's.Tonight's guests on ABC's In Concert are Jim Croce, America, and Seals and Crofts.

Jim Croce, according to starpulse.com, was "a songwriter with a knack for both upbeat, catchy singles and empathetic, melancholy ballads. Croce appealed to fans as a common man, and it was not a gimmick -- he was a father and husband who went through a series of blue-collar jobs. And whether he used dry wit, gentle emotions, or sorrow, Croce sang with a rare form of honesty and power. Few artists have ever been able to pull off such down-to-earth storytelling as convincingly as he was. Raised on ragtime and country, Croce played the accordion as a child and would eventually teach himself the guitar. It wasn't until his freshman year of college that he began to take music seriously, forming several bands over the next few years.After graduation, he continued to play various gigs at local bars and parties, working as both a teacher and construction worker to support himself and his wife, Ingrid."

He would sign with the ABC/Dunhill label and his 1973 album, "Life and Times" featured his first #1 single you'll see him perform here. 

Starpulse.com reports, "After four years of grueling tour schedules, Croce grew homesick. Wishing to spend more time with (his wife) Ingrid and his infant son Adrian James, he planned to take a break after the Life and Times tour was completed. Unfortunately, the tour would never finish; just two months after 'Bad, Bad Leroy Brown' topped the charts, Croce's plane crashed in Natchitoches, LA. Croce and the four other passengers (including band member Maury Muehleisen) were killed instantly."

Jim Croce was 30.

Our next guest has been performing for four decades, America.

From venturahighway.com:

“The world discovered America in 1972 when a nameless horse began its gallop across the international airwaves. If this sounds like some sort of fairy tale, it seemed like one for the young musicians who harmonized their way to the top of the charts on the strength of their signature song. ‘A Horse With No Name’ made America a global household name, paving the way for an impressive string of hits following in its wake. Slightly more than a year after launching the group, Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell, and Dan Peek were bonafide superstars, thanks to a timeless sound that seamlessly assimilated strands of rock, pop and folk elements into a thrilling musical stew.

America's journey has found them exploring a wide variety of musical terrain. Their best-known tunes were cornerstones of 70's Top 40 and FM rock radio. Yet beyond their impressive catalog of hits, listeners would discover there was always much more to America than surface perceptions. The combination of Gerry Beckley's melodic pop rock and Dewey Bunnell's use of folk-jazz elements, slinky Latin-leaning rhythms and impressionistic lyric imagery contrasted well with Dan Peek's more traditional country-rock leanings and highly personal lyrics.”






There definitely is an "acoustic" flavor to tonight's concert and it continues in our final segment.

From music.yahoo.com:

“One of the 1970s' most successful soft-rock acts, the duo of Jim Seals and Dash Crofts met while playing with singer Dean Beard in 1958. That year, Beard was invited to join the Champs (of ‘Tequila’ fame), and Seals and Crofts tagged along, remaining with the group until 1965. The two then bounced from the Mushrooms to the Dawnbreakers before deciding to strike out on their own as a duo in 1969. Seals played guitar, saxophone, and fiddle, while Crofts handled drums, mandolin, keyboards, and guitar. From 1972 to 1976, the duo had a string of five gold albums for Warner Bros., with an additional greatest-hits compilation certified double platinum. The group became embroiled in controversy in 1974 due to the title track of their Unborn Child album, an anti-abortion song written from the fetus' point-of-view; the album was a critical failure, while the single flopped and outraged abortion advocates, who held demonstrations at many of the group's shows.

By 1976, Seals & Crofts' appeal began to decline; their albums failed to sell as well, and they scored their last Top 40 hit in 1978 with ‘You're the Love.’ Warner dropped them shortly after their 1980 LP The Longest Road, but by this time, both Seals and Crofts were more interested in devoting themselves fully to the Baha'i religion they had converted to back in 1969. The two have reunited occasionally at Baha'i gatherings, and for a short 1991-1992 tour; Crofts has lived in several different countries, while Seals moved to a Costa Rican coffee farm in 1980.”




Thanks for watching Friday Night Live.

Goodnight!

Tonight on our summer concert series, Friday Night Live, Legends of R&B on The Midnight Special.

Our first guest, Billy Preston. From billypreston.net:

Billy Preston's career has spanned five decades, starting as a child prodigy playing the movie role of young W.C. Handy and then playing organ for the likes of Ray Charles and Little Richard. His accomplishments are highlighted by a string of hits, including collaborating with some of the most celebrated names in the music industry, The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, The Jackson Five, Sly and the Family Stone, Barbara Streisand, Sammy Davis Jr., Quincy Jones and perhaps the most famous of all, The Beatles.

Billy's relationship with The Beatles led to his signing with Apple Records in the 60's. Billy is widely acknowledged as the "Fifth Beatle" having been the only party to ever hand his name included in the label credits of the "Let It Be" and the "Abbey Road" albums as well as the landmark "White Album". Billy also appeared with them in the films "The Complete Beatles" and "Let It Be" as well as performing as part of them during their historic rooftop final concert.

In the late '60s Billy worked with John Lennon and Yoko Ono on their solo "Plastic Ono Band" album as well as Ringo Starr's solo single "Oh My My" and he participated in George Harrison's American Tour. In addition Billy Preston was a leading character in the movie "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" also featuring Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees, performing a stunning version of "Get Back."

Preston's name and fame were solidified as a solo artist when he scored a string of Number 1 hit singles including the Grammy winning "Outta Space", "Will It Go Round In Circles", "Nothing From Nothing" and "Space Race."







Next up, the Maestro with the deep voice.

From answers.com:

Barry White was known as "the Walrus of Love," a nickname that encompassed his size, his deep voice and his reputation as one of R&B's most romantic singers. White grew up in Los Angeles and got into the music business at an early age. By the late 1960s he organized and produced a girl group called Love Unlimited, whose 1972 hit "Walkin' in the Rain With the One I Love" featured Barry's voice through a telephone. His own debut album, I've Got So Much To Give (1973), included the hit "I'm Gonna Love Ya Just a Little More, Baby." White's distinctive, smooth bass voice was backed by the Love Unlimited Orchestra, and during the '70s he had several hits, including "Love's Theme," a slickly-produced soul song that signalled the beginning of the disco era. During the '80s his career waned, but in the '90s his career was revived, thanks in part to appearances on the TV shows Ally McBeal and The Simpsons. After selling millions of records over three decades, White won his first Grammy with his album Staying Power (1999). 



 


You're watching Friday Night Live. Tonight's theme is Legendary R & B artists featured on NBC's "The Midnight Special." The appearances are from the mid-1970's.

From lourawls.com:

Lou’s voice is as distinctive and instantly recognizable as any in music. It all began on December 1, 1933, in Chicago with the birth of a boy, who would become the legendary Lou Rawls. From Lou’s early days in gospel, his collaborations with Sam Cooke, “The Dick Clark Show” at the Hollywood Bowl in 1959, the opening for The Beatles in 1966 at Crosley Field in Cincinnati, his monologues in the 1970s that presaged rap music to becoming a “crossover” artist before the term was invented, there has been one constant in Lou Rawls’ career––a voice that one critic proclaimed was “sweet as sugar, soft as velvet, strong as steel, smooth as butter.” In 1971 Lou's popularity could be measured by the fact that he won the Downbeat magazine poll for favorite male vocalist, besting perennial champ Frank Sinatra, who has praised Rawls for having "the classiest singing and silkiest chops in the singing game." The 1970s began with a second Grammy win for Natural Man. But, then came disco and Rawls, a symbol of quality and a relevance that transcended trendiness, balked. "A lyric has to mean something to me, something that has happened to me. I try to look for songs people can relate to because I know the man on the corner waiting for the bus has to hear it and say, 'Yeah that's right.'"

In 1975 while other artists succumbed to the beat, Lou moved to Philadelphia International, the Mecca of producers/songwriters Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, and their renowned Philly sound. His integrity was rewarded the next year when "You'll Never Find (Another Love Like Mine)" became Lou's biggest hit.

For my dad, who loved this song....






And finally tonight, the Godfather of Soul, the Hardest Working Man in Show Business......James Brown.

From biography.com:

Combining gospel and blues roots with a stage presentation that mixed calculated hysteria and absolute musical precision, he emerged by 1962 as the leading star in rhythm and blues and one of its key innovators.

During the late 1960s Brown's ambiguous racial politics made him an emblematic figure for both moderate and radical movements. His 1968 recording, ‘Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud’, became an anthem of the Black Power movement. By the early 1970s he had become one of the first black entertainers to assume complete control of his own career, and this remains an enduring aspect of his legacy. An inaugural member of the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame (1986), the next year his recording ‘Living in America’ won a Grammy for best rhythm & blues performance.

Watch Brown take charge with his audience....






Billy Preston, the exuberant keyboardist who landed gigs with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and enjoyed his own hit singles in the 70's died January 12, 2006. His longtime manager, Joyce Moore said a heart infection in November of 2005 left him in a coma, and he never regained consciousness. Preston was 59.

Barry White suffered for years from high blood pressure that led to kidney failure. At the time of his death he was waiting for a kidney transplant and had also suffered a stroke. White died on July 4, 2003. He was 58.

Hospitalized in December of 2005 for treatment of lung and brain cancer, Lou Ralws died January 6, 2006 with his wife, Nina at his bedside. Rawls was 72.

James Brown died of congestive heart failure at the age of 73. His personal manager, Charles Bobbit told reporters, "The most difficult thing is for me to stand here without him. We were a team."  Pausing to fight back tears, Bobbit said he was at Brown's bedside when he died. Brown told him, "I'm going away tonight."  Then he took three long, quiet breaths, and closed his eyes, Bobbit said. Brown died on Christmas Day, 2006.

That's Friday Night Live for this week. Goodnight.

July 4, 1776, the United States declares its independence from Britain. For close to two centuries, the U.S. was free from British control. That changed, at least musically, in 1964.

The British completely took over the pop music charts in America. In the mid-60’s, if you didn’t have long hair and a British accent, you didn’t make it.

British Invasion groups often made appearances on the ABC-TV program, “Shindig.”

From tv.com:


Shindig! was a rock 'n' roll series that ran from September 16, 1964 through January 8, 1966 on the ABC network.

Shindig! was created and produced by Jack Good who had previously produced rock 'n' roll TV shows in his native Britain. There, he perfected his style of fast-paced rock music programming. In 1962, Good produced a pilot for American TV. The pilot, titled "Young America Swings the World," eventually became the blueprint for Shindig!

Shindig! premiered on September 16, 1964. During its first season, Shindig was broadcast Wednesdays at 8:30pm Eastern. It started as a half-hour show but expanded to an hour in January 1965.

Shindig! was different from previous U.S. rock 'n' roll programs. It featured non-stop music that, in most cases, was only interrupted by the commercial breaks. And the music was live...or so it seemed. In recent years it's been revealed that the backing music and most of the vocals were pre-recorded. Often, the guests would record special versions of their songs for Shindig. The music and vocal tracks were recorded a day or two before the episode was videotaped. The performers then rehearsed numerous times to make sure that their "mimed" performances looked live. (In some cases the vocals were live.)

Shindig! was hosted by Los Angeles disc-jockey Jimmy O'Neill. Other series regulars included the Blossoms, a female group who provided the back-up singing. The Wellingtons were the male back-up singers.  There were also the Shindig dancers, a troupe made up of 10 (or so) teenage girls who did choreographed dance steps.

Shindig's cancellation was part of a mid-season reshuffle at ABC, which the network called "The Second Season." The final Shindig aired on January 8, 1966. As if to add insult to injury, many of the songs performed on that final Shindig were presented as sketches saluting the new ABC shows! One of these sketches was a tribute to "Batman," the series that replaced Shindig!


Tonight on Friday Night Live, the British Invasion (OK, baby boomers, see how many you remember).






Pass the tea and crumpets.

Time for another course.

The British Invasion.


Shindig.


The mid-60's.


ABC -TV.


Before we say goodnight, a very special encore presentation.


After all...


It wouldn't be a true British Invasion......


Without.....

Tonight, a historic edition of Friday Night Live.

“Elvis Presley rocked the world in the 1950’s, a leader among performers who brought about a revolution in music and pop culture. Through most of the 1960's he concentratedmainly on his movie career, which had been very successful, but, by the end of the decade, was in a downturn and had become a grind, seldom giving him opportunities to prove himself as a serious actor. By 1968, it had been more than seven years since Elvis had appeared on stage in front of a live audience.”
Liner Notes, ELVIS: '68 COMEBACK SPECIAL, Deluxe Edition DVD


Elvis was to do a TV special to air in December 1968 on NBC sponsored by Singer. His manager, Colonel Tom Parker envisioned and wanted a Perry Como family-type program.

Fortunately, the creative team behind the special went in a different direction, creating a revolutionary format (Elvis goes unplugged) and a comfort zone enabling Elvis to once again show his energetic self and truly shine.


“In his first television special Elvis plays his greatest role – simply being himself, the real Elvis as performer and person. Usually referred to as The ’68 Special or The ’68 Comeback Special, the actual name of this landmark television program was Elvis. Taped in June 1968, it first aired the following December 3rd on NBC-TV, attracting 42% of the television viewing audience, the network’s biggest ratings victory that year and the season’s top-rated show. It stands as one of the great moments in rock music history and as a stunningly brilliant milestone in Elvis Presley's career. After this triumph Elvis poured renewed creative vigor into his recording work, wrapped up his movie contract obligations and returned full-time to the concert stage, beginning a new and exciting era of the Elvis phenomenon.”
Liner Notes, ELVIS: '68 COMEBACK SPECIAL, Deluxe Edition DVD

40 years ago tonight, June 27, 1968, Elvis began taping the segments for the NBC special. The show opened with silhouetted guitar players and moved on to Elvis performing in the round in front of a studio audience with full orchestra and also with old band members and friends.

It’s Elvis at his very best.

Tonight’s special guests are the Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) and the Edgar Winter Group.

In reminiscing about ELO and the 1970’s, the BBC’s Cliff Wootton wrote in 2001, “Back then, we all wore our hair afro-style, had outrageously flared trousers, stack heeled kinky-boots and gold lame jackets. And that was just the blokes.”

From ELO’s website:

“The Electric Light Orchestra's ambitious yet irresistible fusion of Beatlesque pop, classical arrangements, and futuristic iconography rocketed the group to massive commercial success throughout the 1970s. ELO was formed in Birmingham, England in the autumn of 1970 from the ashes of the eccentric art-pop combo the Move, reuniting frontman Roy Wood with guitarist/composer Jeff Lynne; announcing their intentions to "pick up where 'I Am the Walrus' left off," the quartet sought to embellish their engagingly melodic rock with classical flourishes.”

In 1973, “the group returned to the Top Ten with their grandiose cover of the Chuck Berry chestnut ‘Roll Over Beethoven.’ The record was also their first American hit.”

In a review, feedsfarm.com called ELO’s first big hit, “a cover of Chuck Berry's popular rock & roll tune mixed with Beethoven's ‘Fifth Symphony.’ Epic in scale, ‘Roll Over Beethoven’ effortlessly zigzags between Chuck Berry rhythm and Beethoven melody, becoming an elegant blend of pure instrumental composition and classic 50s rock.”

Like his older brother Johnny, Edgar is an albino. In interviews, Edgar admits his eyesight has always been poor, preventing an ability to sight read. That makes it so amazing that he has become a prolific writer.

Winter’s official website says, “In late 1972 Edgar brought together Dan Hartman, Ronnie Montrose and Chuck Ruff to form The Edgar Winter Group, the legendary band that created such hits as the number one Frankenstein and the ever popular Free Ride. Released in 1973, They Only Come Out at Night peaked at the number 3 position on the Billboard Hot 200 and stayed on the charts for an impressive 80 weeks. It was certified gold in April 1973 and double platinum in November 1986. Edgar invented the keyboard body strap early in his career, an innovation that allows him the freedom to move around on stage during his multi-instrument high-energy performances. He was also the first artist to feature a synthesizer as the main instrument in a song. Frankenstein revolutionized rock and roll and opened up a whole new world of possibilities with experimentation and sound.”

Just this week, as Winter prepared to go on tour with Ringo Starr’s All-Starr Band, he was interviewed by the Niagara Falls Review. Winter talked about his classic instrumental hit from the early 70’s:


Edgar Winter didn't have Boris Karloff on the brain when he wrote his classic rock instrumental, "Frankenstein."

It was just a simple riff he had come up with years earlier and recorded in bits and pieces. When he decided at the last minute to put the track on his 1973 album "They Only Come  Out at Night," the tapes were scattered around the recording studio.

"It was cut up into pieces and we were trying to figure out how to put it back together," recalls Winter. "Chuck Ruff, the drummer, mumbled the immortal words, 'Wow, that is like Frankenstein.' That was it! The monster was born."

"It just has that lumbering, monster feel. I couldn't have written anything that sounds more like Frankenstein if that had been my real intention."

Somehow, this pieced-together instrumental hit No. 1 on the pop charts and changed Winter's life.

He's still not sick of playing it. The song allows for such epic jamming, "Frankenstein" is a different beast every night.

"'Frankenstein' is my favorite live song, just because it's so spontaneous," he says. "It's very much in the tradition of jazz in that there's a lot of freedom within that song. There's plenty of space to ad lib.

"I never tire of doing that song simply because only about five per cent of it is the same. The rest is just a big jam."


Like the previous clip of ELO, this video of the Edgar Winter Group features some great solo work.





Again, from the Niagara Falls Review:


Winter was part of the last All-Starr tour in 2006 and is "flattered and thrilled" to be invited again.

It's not just fun, it's humbling to play alongside a Beatle.

"That pervasive feeling of peace and love ... that sounds like a line, but I really mean it," he says. "I really feel like Ringo is carrying on the spirit that the Beatles came to represent.

"I stand in awe of the Beatles. What they did transcended music. They brought about a whole revolution without firing a shot. They caused a paradigm shift that changed the mindset of a generation. It's such an honour and privilege to be able to perform with him."

 

Edgar Winter will be onstage with Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band July 9th at the Northern Lights Theater at Potawatomi. The concert is sold out.

Thanks for tuning in.

Next week, a very historic edition of Friday Night Live......don't miss it.

Barry Manilow turned 65 today.

Mention his name and certain thoughts, opinions, and images immediately come to mind.

 

But think about it.


Suppose you have a group of men.


And much like that TV program, "The View".....


You take these guys....


And you put them in a casual setting....


And you let them talk...


About Barry.

OK.

Let's not get carried away here.

There are lots and lots and lots and lots of men who can't stand Barry Manilow.

When you think about it, Manilow gets criticized for the same things Lionel Ritchie did but never caught flak. But that's another issue.

But I'm telling you there are Barry Manilow fans, male Barry Manilow fans who are Barry Manilow fans and don't even know they're Barry Manilow fans.

Listen up guys.

Watch this next video.

The vocals are not synchronized all that great with the video but work with me, alright?

I guarantee guys (and ladies, of course you can play along, too)  that you will watch this video........okay, turn away from the computer while it's on if you must........and you will hear the lyrics and you will hear the melodies to these Manilow compositions...

And yes, I guarantee that you will say, yeh.

Yeh.

Yeh.

I like that.

And you will know the music.

And you will know the words.

You might even sing along.

And you will have to admit.

You like.......

Tonight’s guests are:

Kiss, ABBA, and the Captain and Tennille.

In the 70’s, In Concert and The Midnight Special aired on Friday nights. On Saturday night, it was Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert.

Prior to his 70's show, Kirshner was a successful record producer in the 60’s. From Answers.com:

“Kirshner employed some of the best writers in the business including Carol King, Neil Diamond and Tommy Boyce. The latter two artists played a large part in the success of another Kirshner creation, the pop group the Monkees. Kirshner's staff of writers churned out hit song after hit song for such groups as the Drifters, the Ronettes, the Crystals and the Shangri-Las, upping the standard of songwriting significantly in the process. 

In 1966, the enterprising Kirshner embarked on the second stage of his professional career when he developed America's answer to the Beatles. By creating the Monkees, a group assembled by placing advertisements in various trade papers, for the NBC network, Kirshner created a cute, loveable, slightly anti-establishment rock group that would parade around in a half-hour TV show while going on zany adventures a la the Beatles in a Hard Day's Night and Help! The kids loved it. And so did Columbia when they received the royalty checks from the Monkee's hits.

After the Monkees ran their course, Kirshner formed Don Kirshner productions in 1973 to produce his successful Don Kirshner's Rock Concert series. The ‘Rock Concert’ series ran for several years before Kirshner eventually moved away from rock n' roll and into TV production in the mid '70s.”

“ABBA, a musical entity consisting of two couples, became by far the most successful act of that decade (70's), even one of the biggest phenomenons of the whole century.”
carlmagnuspalm.com

From biography.com:

“Swedish pop singing group, formed in 1973 by Björn Ulvaeus (1945– , guitar, vocals), married to Agnetha Fältskog (1950– , vocals), and Benny Andersson (1945– , keyboards, vocals), married to Anni-Frid (known as Frida) Lyngstad (1945– , vocals). The group's name derives from their first-name initials. Their major international breakthrough came with the winning song in the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, ‘Waterloo’, which was followed by hit singles and albums throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. During the 1970s they were the most successful international group since the Beatles. Ulvaeus and Andersson wrote their so