Rock Radio 50 Years Ago ~ MAY 1975

Old Days & Golden Days Rockin’ May 1975!   

As we move through May, late Spring, and on into Summer, moods often turn to nostalgic reminiscing. And that’s what we do here, all year! We’re bringing the Old Days back in short, reflective bursts of memories. Although up on May 1^st, this article may be a little devoid of pretty images and a couple of informative links. But it’s mostly intact and all will be good in a few days. Enjoy … 50 Years Ago this Month … 

 º MAY 1975 Radio News & Muse ♪  

Rockin’ back aways, we bring you music bulletins, news reports and a smattering of hearsay from back in the day. This month, our “resident DJ emeritus,” Bill Gardner, lets us in on the attitude of the day about encroaching syndicated shows, and our Song of Note reminds us of the good “Old Days.” It was a balmy Spring day …

May 1^st: Always the showmen, the Rolling Stones heralded their Tour of the Americas on New York City’s famed Fifth Avenue, from the bed of a truck. Oh, and it also coincided with new band guitarist’s debut, Ronnie Wood, launching with the Stones into their 1971 hit, “Brown Sugar.” On tour, Wood was a hit with the band and became an official member on April 23, 1976.   

May 17^th: It didn’t take long for the Rolling Stones to be back in the news. Reports, however, run from a barely chronicled newsline of Mick Jagger “punching” the window of Gosman’s restaurant in Montauk, Long Island, to a sympathetic story of him stumbling (why?) into the window and using his hand and arm to break his fall. Of course, the window broke too; but all was good with twenty stitches and no debilitating damage, to see him back on-stage to continue the tour.

May 26^th: Did John Denver’s “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” at #3 on KOLA’s chart, lead the way for the next Glen Campbell hit, “Rhinestone Cowboy," officially released on this day? Campbell’s storied and campy crossover hopped onto the chart early at #35 in the “bubbling under” list, going on to become one of his signature hits. In 1974 he recognized potential in the poorly received Larry Weiss tune and made it his own. By September “Rhinestone Cowboy” found itself atop both Pop and Country Hot 100 charts; reportedly a feat which hadn’t been made since November 1961, by Jimmy Dean and “Big Bad John.”
       Click the Denver song link above to not only enjoy its vintage performance, but Denver’s intro with old pics of Glen Cambell, Roger Miller and Johnny Cash. What fun!

May 27^th: Although Paul McCartney & Wings released their now-iconic tune, “Listen to What the Man Said” on May 16^th, it wasn’t until this date that they let loose Venus and Mars, the album from which it flowed. By May 24^th, the single had already hit #30 on KOLA’s chart. ♪ … For all we know, our love will grow | That's what the man said … ♪     

♪ On Your Tinny Transistor Radio ♪  

Where were you enjoying the simple pleasures of life in May 1975? Kansas City (MO), Tallahassee, or SoCal’s Inland Empire? Here’s a sample of what and who you were listening to …

Being the most “Western” of those cities, it’s no wonder John Denver’s “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” held the #1 spot on KBEQ 104 collectors’ chart #62 of “Kansas City’s Favorites.” Or that actually, the top five positions on the supposedly Pop station Top 40 were a li’l bit Rock & Roll and a whole lotta Country: #2: “Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song,” #3: “Wildfire,” #4: “Sister Golden Hair” (well, ya gotta have one real Pop song), and #5: “Before the Next Teardrop Falls.”
       Insisting they were Pop, KBEQ—like most “Q” stations in the ‘70s—was modeled after San Diego’s KCBQ Top 40. So to prove their Top 40 status … popular Pop group, the BeeGees were on their way to Kansas City for a concert in June. Were you there? Or were you listening to …

DJ Dave Laing at WTAL on your morning commute in Tallahassee, Florida? It wasn’t easy to find history on either of these stations, but WTAL was the most elusive. It wasn’t ‘til I located an old discussion thread that I stumbled on a post telling us, “It was THE Top 40 station in the early 1970s until around 1976 or so. It was owned by the Hoy family during its top 40 days.” And though DJ Dave spent some early time at WTAL, he retired in 2018 after an impressive thirty-eight years with Daytona Beach’s WNDB. He only gets a text mention on the survey, but a great pic of their old building “… at the River Quay” graces the cover and tells listeners to gather ‘round at their new location “… Penntower at 31^st and Broadway.” Did you? But if you were in California’s Inland Empire …

You likely grooved to San Bernardino’s Stereo 99 KOLA, “The Pop Sound on the Chart,” where John Denver’s “Country Boy” crossover had so far, climbed to #3, beat out by Linda Ronstadt’s #2 tune, “When Will I Be Loved,” and Earth, Wind & Fire’s bright “Shining Star” at #1. Also shining on our Featured Radio Survey for May 24, 1975, was the trendy “King Biscuit Flower Hour.” Question: were syndicated shows like this one and Wolfman Jack’s scintillating, recorded broadcasts, viewed by DJs as usurping their income by replacing them? Hardly, says our radio expert, Bill Gardner.
       “I used to enjoy when we would carry Drake-Chenault's History of Rock and Roll 18-hour special. There was no income lost in most cases, as usually only the part-timers were paid hourly. I think all of my fellow DJs thought, ‘Great!  We get an extra day off this weekend.’”
       Which begged my next question … should current radio broadcasters be concerned about AI taking over their jobs? Bill replied, “As for AI, if today's DJs aren't worried about AI they should be. I can't believe some of the bottom-feeder cost-cutter corporations haven't started using it yet. (Long pause.) Maybe they have.”   
       The King Biscuit Flower Hour aired on KOLA—and apparently mandated all airings—in a Sunday night time slot with predominantly album-oriented Rock. Were you listening?

♪ MAY ’75 Song of Note ♪
Spring daydreaming is marvelously conducive to reminiscing and smiling at fond memories. If I don’t stir up at least one for you with this month’s Song of Note, I’m not doing my job here—or you’re just now old enough to remember Chicago! Not the city, sillies, but its namesake "rock and roll band with horns," in which singer/songwriter and founding member, James Pankow, penned his youthful remembrances of “Old Days.”   
       The nostalgic tune moved up the KOLA chart from #12 to #8 in May 1975, and if I could today, I’d vote it up to #1. Ahhhhh, the memories ♪ … Fun days | Filled with simple pleasures | Drive-in movies | Comic books and blue jeans … ♪    
       As well-received as the song was, some band members (likely younger than the rest—especially as they continue the Chicago essence on stage today—eventually refused to sing “Old Days” on stage, deeming it too corny for their sophisticated style. Methinks they miss the point. Music is made to stir up emotions … “Old Days,” with references to The Howdy Doody Show and collecting baseball cards, does just that whether you remember them or not. Enjoy ♪ … Memories | Seem like yesterday … ♪    

♪MAY 2025 Music Events & More ♪   

Drum roll please … for Drum Month … and … BFYP celebrating the incomparable DJ Joey Reynolds’ nomination for class of 2025 Museum of Broadcast Communications Hall of Fame!

As the story in RAMP reported, “The top six vote recipients will gain induction as part of the 2025 Radio Hall of Fame Induction class. The two additional inductees that will make up the eight-person induction class will be selected by the Radio Hall of Fame Nominating Committee.” June 30^th is when we learn who made the cut and the HOF induction hoopla is set to take over the Swissotel Hotel in Chicago on October 30th. Joey took a nasty fall just over a year ago. Am hoping soon, for an update on his recovery. Help him get better … Vote for Joey! Vote for Joey!
       Oh yes, as for International Drum Month, it is again, an abandoned special day. But hey, you don’t need to be a drummer to honor the ancient and modern history of drums. Let’s face it, many of us “drum” throughout our busy days. Do you “drum” your fingers on a tabletop or any solid surface while waiting for something to happen? Or perhaps, rather than writing out an assignment in school, you grabbed a couple of pencils and imitated a drum solo by 1970s great, John Bonham of Led Zeppelin fame. You know as well as I do that “air drums” are just as much a thing as “air guitar”!

May 26^th: Not only is today a solemn commitment to our fallen soldiers (last Monday in May every year), but it’s also a day dedicated to helping each other look forward to emerge through strife with music in our souls. With that in mind, let’s dance! It’s World Lindy Hop Day!
       Classified as a Swing dance, The Lindy Hop could be considered early Rock & Roll dancing and is dear to my heart, since I share a name in sound, if not in spelling. My dance-instructor mother thought about spelling my name “Lindy” but desiring an even more distinctive moniker, settled on LinDee. Thanks mom … ? The energetic swing dance sashayed into popularity early in 1940s, just in time to boost the country’s spirit as it emerged from the Great Depression. We could use its bouncy enthusiasm right about now … take a look … is it for you?    

♪♪ BFYP Featured Radio Survey ♪♪   
May 24, 1975 ~ KOLA/San Bernardino, California, entertained the state’s Inland Empire music fans with all the hits and gave them a fun “Pop Sound on the Chart” Stereo 99 survey to boot! With ‘70s pop style, KOLA listed the Top 30 most popular tunes, ten scorching “Bubbling Under”  songs and the Top 10 albums in the area. To their credit, KOLA still broadcasts a classic hits radio format. (Now, sadly, consisting tentatively of 1970s, ‘80s, ‘90s hits; however, even those are aging out, as “classic” becomes tunes from the early 2000s.) Were your faves on the list … 50 Years Ago this Month in Rock & Roll Radio? It depends. Where were you that groovy day when your radio played … 

Let’s Celebrate MAY 1975 and … Rock On!  

BFYP Book 1 (1954-1959) on Amazon         
BFYP Book 2 (Swinging ‘60s) on Amazon 
Blast from Your Past Gifts 
Share your Golden Oldies R&R fun on X: @BlastFromPastBk 

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LinDee Rochelle is a writer and editor by trade, and author by way of Rock & Roll. Two books (of three planned) are published in her Blast from Your Past^TM series, available on Amazon: Book 1 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The First Five Years 1954-1959^TM (eBook only; coming soon in updated print edition) and Book 2 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The Swinging Sixties^TM (eBook & print). Coming soon-ish … Book 3 – The Psychedelic Seventies!^TM 

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. This site is wholly owned by LinDee Rochelle & sponsored by PenchantForPenning.com^TM. 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! 
            01/01/25: The Blast from Your Past site has never and will never (knowingly) be written or assisted, by Artificial Intelligence. It’s just stupid ol’ “I” and I enjoy writing these articles. They soothe my soul. So why would I hand that indulgence over to an artificial, soulless entity that can’t feel pleasure?!

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