Sunday, November 1, 2020

Rock Radio NOVEMBER 1970 Fame & Gratitude

From Jukebox Day to Texas Radio Hall of Fame DJ!

Wow. We barely have time to blow out the candles in our Jack-O-Lanterns and it’s already November! Here we go, slip-slidin’ into the Holidays … and look out! A New Year is just around the corner. If you feel like you blinked and missed out on a lot of 2020, you’re not alone.

The inimitable Peggy Lee once sang, ♪ Is that all there is | is that all there is, my friend …♪  **

It is what you make of it … and since National Jukebox Day falls on the 25th, day before Thanksgiving, I agree with her, then let’s keep dancing … ♪!

And certainly, November is the month of Gratitude which makes a great partner to Family Stories Month! Is there a Radio DJ in the family? Whether yes or no, November is the perfect time to share stories from all parts-‘n’-pieces of the family … record them and remember to say thank you! Family histories can be incredibly cathartic and offer comforting reminisces in troubled times.

If you’re still here and enjoying this humble blog, then there is much to be grateful for. Let’s give ourselves a moment of reverent silence … then Rock On! ♪ For it is in our unwavering zest for dancing to the music of life that we make memories like these …

If venerable career and BFYP DJ Bill Gardner could, he would show in-person gratitude to the people of Texas and the Texas Radio Hall of Fame for his induction into their annals!

As with so many fun events, it's virtual this year, but he's still mighty proud of the honor. Visit their site if you want to learn the other nineteen guys-'n'-gals being inducted in the November 7, 2020 ceremony (which you can watch here on YouTube).

Bill’s alter ego is airline pilot!

Congratulations to the Texas Radio Hall of Fame Class of 2020
Bill Gardner (KVIL/KLLS/KNUS)

Being the ultimate nice guy that he is, the mention on his website includes DJ team members from historical Texas powerhouse, KVIL. “… this crew was there when we first launched in 1974. This weekend, I'm inducted into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame, and I share the honor with these talented team mates.” CONGRATS my friend!

So let’s get Rockin’ 
50 Years Ago this Month ~ NOVEMBER 1970

Did you stick a quarter in the jukebox to play the poignant tearjerker at the top of radio charts? Push the button for “The Tears of a Clown (Smokey Robinson & the Miracles) and enjoy the memories on the 25th’s National Jukebox Day.

This 1970-’71 Rock-Ola jukebox ad boasted “2 Plays—2 Bits” as a standard feature, which if I recall correctly, translated to 3 songs per play only 25¢ and 2 plays equaled 50¢. Cool … and do you know that with derivatives and slang, “jukebox” translates to “disorderly, rowdy, or wicked”? Again … cool.

On Your Tinny Transistor Radio ~ NOVEMBER 1970  
Several songs on our Featured Radio Survey from NorCal are so appropriate even 50 years later, by title, if not by content. My favorite picks from
KFRC/San Francisco November 1970:

Share the Land” (The Guess Who) is on its way up at #15; “Heaven Help Us All” (Stevie Wonder) stuck around for another week at #21; “5-10-15-20 (25-30 Years of Love)” by The Presidents (hey, it’s by “presidents” I had to include it!) campaigning for another up-week at #25; and the Icelandic tribute in music, “Immigrant Song,” by Led Zeppelin started its climb at #30. All give us more to think about in this election year, 50 Years later. keep hatred from the mighty | And the mighty from the small | Heaven help us all 

BFYP Featured Radio Survey ~ NOVEMBER 1970 
Were you Rockin’ out to KFRC in San Francisco, California, November 16, 1970? Then you’ll recall DJ Joe Conrad and KFRC’s survey Issue No. 232 that sported an ad for the Fremont Drag Strip, where all the cool kids and cars hung out  vroom, vroom! … 50 Years Ago this Month in Rock & Roll Radio! Where were you that groovy day when your radio played …

Celebrate NOVEMBER 1970 and … Rock On!  

Blastfrom Your Past Gifts
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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 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!  

**Released August 1969

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