Thursday, April 1, 2021

Rock Radio APRIL 1971 Chick-a-Boom Boom Boom

Chick-a-Boom, Baby! No Foolin … 

Spring has sprung! The Easter chicks are peeping pink candy and April Fool’s jokes take a nosedive.

Seems the right time to sing a silly song from 1971 … though the cheeky “Chick-A-Boom” (Daddy Dewdrop, aka Dick Monda) wasn’t a pop hit everywhere or for long, it caught the fancy and fun of San Diego radio fans, who jammed it up to #2 on KCBQ’s “Q Hits” survey for April 16, 1971.
     
Yep, we’re talkin’ cheeky …
Don't Ya Jes' Love It … | I asked about the chick but what they said was freaky …| Chick-a-boom, chick-a-boom-boom-boom … ♪
     
It was just too much fun—as it should be—since it was created for the popular
Groovie Goolies animated TV show about trendy monsters; a production of Filmation co-founded by BFYP DJ Norm Prescott. Talk about tongue-in-cheek lyrics.

So now that we’ve sprung into Spring with a chuckle, let’s flip on the mic, and Rock On back to APRIL 1971

Rockin’ News & Views ~ Then & Now 
Then
Are you into celebrity news? While they celebrated hanging on in the top ten of some stations like KFRC/San Francisco, with “
Brown Sugar” at #8, it was more of a behind-the-scenes party that featured the song’s new label. I venture to say, its lyrics would be banned in today’s volatile racial climate, but we can’t change history, we can only learn from it. Society was very different 50 Years Ago this Month.
     
An elite Spring gala honored their new contract with Atlantic Records on April 1, 1971, sans April Fool’s Day tomfoolery, as they forged an alliance featuring the Stones’ launch of their own label,
Rolling Stones Records. Were you invited to their Cannes party April 6, 1971? Let’s par-tay! 

  & Now

Do you know what a LOT of pioneering Rock Radio DJs did before they began their crazy careers? Set up a mini radio broadcast "station" in their bedroom, basement, or anywhere mom would let them! So let's celebrate Amateur Radio Month. Well, darn, there isn’t an associated link for the month designation, but …
     
There is the
International Amateur Radio Union that organized to save short wave radio back in 1925 and established World Amateur Radio Day that falls on April 18th this year. Join them in 2021’s encouraging theme, “Amateur Radio: Home but Never Alone.” Check it out and learn how to create and/or enjoy a home radio setup! [I’m sure it’s waaaay different than 50 Years Ago!] 

 Okay, let's give it to 'em, right now! April 11th is International "Louie Louie" Day! Although there is no official associated link, we have a cool one just for you! BFYP DJ Ken Chase (aka Mike Korgan) made his mark on music near the top of the Pacific Northwest, at KISN/Portland, Oregon. He put their hometown boys, The Kingsmen, at the top of the charts by producing “Louie Louie” which became everyone’s favorite dance party tune for decades to come. 

Speaking of dance, although its origins are steeped in ballet history, National Dance Week is April 16-25th and I say we move our feet to any ol’ music just to get us up and dancing! With celeb spokespeople over the years, like Paula Abdul, Ben Vereen and Jo Rowan, the week’s host obviously celebrates the motivating action more than a standard form. So … let’s shake all over and Rock & Roll!

50 Years Ago on Your Tinny Transistor Radio ~ APRIL 1971

There are generally one-to-two Rockin’ vintage radio station music charts in the BFYP Collection for each month of the 50 Years Ago this Month blog. However, this month I have four spread from coast-to-coast, and as I eyed which might work best for the Featured Radio Survey, I noticed the oddly disparate top ten lists. Although one coast to the other often display different musical preferences spread throughout the month, the top ten usually have more stations in common than noted for APRIL 1971.
     In
a quick tally, only two tunes ranked in the top ten for all four stations:
With two weeks (or more) to climb the charts, “Joy to the World” (Three Dog Night) enjoyed the #1 ranking for
KCBQ/San Diego, California, where you listened to BFYP DJ Rich Brother Robbin 04/16/71.
      Keeping them company was
WSAI/Cincinnati, Ohio 04/24/71, and KFRC/San Francisco, California 04/23/71. But even with help from six dynamo DJs including Dick Linn, fans at KBZY/Salem, Oregon, hadn't had enough time on the 04/02/71 survey to push it up any further than #8 (from #14 prior week). Musta been the frog that made it so popular ...  Jeremiah was a bullfrog | was a good friend of mine ...
      "Wild World" (Cat Stevens), the other song of note on the charts, had just belatedly clawed its way to #2 on KBZY, but already downsliding to #8 on KCBQ and WSAI, while KFRC and DJ Bob Foster had already dropped it into nowhere land.

BFYP Featured Radio Survey  
Rockin’ APRIL 1971
~ Gotta love the ‘60s and ‘70s music charts artwork. Perfect example is

KCBQ/San Diego, California’s “Q Hits” chart for April 16, 1971. The more ornate and indecipherable, the better. Innuendos, double-entendres and pseudo-ads were the norm, hidden within flowers, curlicues, popular symbols, and mind-blowing, flowing lines. Look closely at the featured survey to find ankhs, peace symbols, the infinity sign, and even a cute little mouse.50 Years Ago this Month in Rock & Roll Radio! Where were you that groovy day when your radio played …

Celebrate APRIL 1971 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 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! 

 

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