Tuesday, September 1, 2020

Rock Radio SEPTEMBER 1970 One-Hit Wonders

BFYP ROCKIN' NEWS: Read an eBook Day (Sept. 18th) SPECIALS!

All good things must come to an end. The book specials have ended, but the books are ready at great prices for your Holiday gift-buying!  

BFYP’s Book 2: Rock Radio DJs of The Swinging Sixties PRINT edition is available now at a new LOWER price at least through December 31, 2020. Plus, watch for the eBook sale coming in October!

And Book 1: The First Five Years (1954-1959) with its pioneering Rock Radio DJ true tales is still at its lowest eBook price ... could there be another "free day" coming before Christmas? I love surprises, don't you?  

Now, back to your regularly scheduled 50 Years Ago this Month!

Surf the Wave of One-Hit Wonders 

But first, current news: Many long-time/native San Diegans will fondly recall popular 1960s, ‘70s, and mid-‘80s Rockin’ radio station, KPRI. Known in its heyday as a free-form station, its call letters basically disappeared when it flipped to KLZZ in 1984.
            You might like to know … it’s baaaack! The same, but different. The infamous call letters found a new home in 2018, owned by the Pala Band of Mission Indians, with the initials standing for "Kupa Pala Rez Indians." On-air, it’s known as "Rez Radio 91.3."

            Sure, they play some Native American music, but a mainstay of their eclectic format is variety, and Wolfman Jack’s syndicated shows. This month, they’re adding popular local DJ Jim McInnes, whose acclaimed “Vinyl Resting Place” show follows Wolfman on Saturday nights. Cool!
            Even cooler, Jim is coming full circle … he originally signed on the innovative KPRI 106.5, playing album cuts, in 1973.
From the REZ website, Jim’s show is, “Classic rock deep tracks from San Diego radio icon Jim McInnes' personal music library every Saturday evening from 8 to 10p.” Enjoy!

And now, back to 1970! A familiar howl ruled the California airwaves and floated well beyond, as we start the Fall windup of the turbulent first year in the 2020s. Oops … I mean … 1970s! Tongue-in-cheek Freudian slip, as we mimic events (protests, rioting, social unrest; minus the pandemic) of …

50 Years Ago this Month ~ SEPTEMBER 1970  
Getting into the songs of the day, I had to laugh when I realized this month’s Featured Radio Survey for K-POI/Hawaii, includes a crashing wave of THREE one-hit wonders. So what? Besides, somewhat of an anomaly, September 25th is National One-Hit Wonder Day.* In order by chart number:
            Yes, the tune still headlining this chart is a summer hold-over, “In the Summertime” by Mungo Jerry, their only big hit. We all sang it, we all loved it, but they just couldn’t follow through. You’ll also recall the soft and soulful love song at #17 (down from previous week’s #11) by Alive and Kicking, “Tighter, Tighter.” 
            The most unforgettable one-hit-no wonder-why on the survey is “Neanderthal Man” (Hotlegs) debuting on the bottom of the chart at #20. It never made it past #15 and dropped off by month’s end.
*There is no link associated with National One-Hit Wonder Day, so click on BFYP Featured Radio Survey for more one-hit fun! ♪ Hold on, just a little bit tighter now, baby … ♪

On Your Tinny Transistor Radio ~ SEPTEMBER 1970    
Perhaps gearing up for October, Wolfman Jack’s fave screaming month, his publicist got him on the cover of K-POI/Hawaii’s “Action 20 Records” 50 Years Ago this Month.
            1380 on your island radio dial, “The Hawaiian Word for Radio” didn’t just play Don Ho for its music lovers. They played lots of Rock ‘n’ Roll with Creedence, Diana Ross, and Three Dog Night. And Wolfman Jack stoking your luaus on Sunday nights.
            “In the Summertime” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” grabbed the attention of most Hawaiian and Midwest listeners. Across the Pacific, and most of the way across the country, WLS/Chicago’s “Hit Parade” shared only those two tunes out of the top ten with K-POI. Celebrated bi-coastal DJ, Scotty Brink, slapped ‘em on the turntable to the delight of Chicago’s fans. Ain’t no river wide enough | To keep me from you
            The biggest difference, however, is WLS proofread their chart before printing … which makes K-POI’s survey more valuable 50 Years later, with their misspelling of “Spetember,” and double-R on Edwin Starr’s name (#11’s “War”).  

BFYP Featured Radio Survey ~ SEPTEMBER 1970
I may have overdone K-POI/Hawaii’s Action 20 Records feature for September 8, 1970 and throughout the BFYP blog, but it was just such a fun survey. To top it all off, Wolfman Jack’s Joe-Cool image practically leaps off the front. What more could we want? It’s an expanded feature this month, so Rock On! … 50 Years Ago this Month in Rock & Roll Radio! Where were you that groovy day when your radio played

Celebrate SEPTEMBER 1970 and … Rock On!  

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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 1Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The First Five Years 1954-1959; and Book 2Rock & 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, there may be an unsecured link. As with everything cyber-security, use at your own discretion and risk. *All holiday and special event days are found at Brownielocks.com’s calendar site. Enjoy! 

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