Yes, this IS the August 1st post, however, I’m lagging. This time, it’s even more aggravating for me than it is for you. I broke my toe. Now, it’s just a toe, so you wouldn’t think it would be a big deal. Without going into detail, and not posting a sad photo of me with my foot elevated in an orthopedic “shoe,” suffice it to say, I’m lagging.
However! Below is a teaser and hopefully you’ll make it back in a day or two to finish what will soon be a complete, super-fun “Endless Summer edition” of 50 Years Ago this Month!
Hot Summer nights were made
for Rock & Roll music. Or is it vice versa? I have the distinct pleasure of
being old enough to enjoy memories of AUGUST 1975 … and just so ya know
(if you’re not “of a certain age”), sex, drugs, and Rock & Roll were all
right there with me! And so was Radio …
When finished this will be a jam-packed
issue of Blast from Your Past ~ 50 Years Ago this Month. I have a
trio of dynamite August 1975, Rockin’ music charts from which only one
can emerge as the month’s Featured Radio
Survey. No mean feat to choose; will you agree with my fave? Before we
check ‘em out, let’s see what was riding high in music news 50 Years Ago
…
August 4th: The Led Zeppelin we all know and love, was nearly
extinguished at the height of their popularity, on this date 50 Years Ago.
Were you a zealous fan (and there were/are many) who anguished over the news of
Robert Plant and
family’s auto accident on an idyllic, but isolated island of Greece?
Zep’s August 8th press release of
cancelled concerts is an item of historical interest on their website today,
telling of the accident that fortunately was not fatal; however, it put the
band’s future at stake. By the end of September, Plant was rolling around stage
in a wheelchair, but not quite ready to perform.
To keep them in your minds and
hearts, Wolfman
Jack’s Midnight
Special November 14th aired a tribute show for Led Zeppelin,
with a previously recorded Plant interview (March ’75). Still, no tour plans
were considered until Plant was fully healed. Obviously, that eventually
happened, and Zeppelin fans breathed a sigh of relief in coming months.
August 5th: A historic date in popular music, as Stevie Wonder, known by family as Stevland Hardaway Morris (né Judkins), signed a monumental contract, re-upping with Motown Records, to the tune of a $13 million advance. Although, there was trouble in music paradise, as reportedly, the deal wasn’t finalized until April 1976.
August 9th: Fancy that, on this day, with the lead tune from their newest album, Main Course, at the top of charts, the Bee Gees’ comeback was complete when “Jive Talkin’” hit the one-million-sales mark for a platinum honor. The momentum inspired them all the way through the ‘70s.
♪ On Your Tinny Transistor Radio ♪
When I scored the vintage radio survey for KNDE/Sacramento,
California, back in 2011, I had no idea just how great a find it was! Even the
venerable WIKI doesn’t have proper info on the station, like I found on general radio history sites, including
the link above. That link is only a paragraph on KNDE, but filled in the gaps
of yet another convoluted station background. It began as a Progressive Rock
station, eventually morphing into the Top 40 format.
More importantly, I learned that DJ
Neale Blase, who’s in my BFYP Book 2: The Swinging Sixties,
floated into KNDE and helped it reign supreme in Sacto area Rock, 1973- “until its
unnoticed demise,” obviously after the Fall of 1975. Neale had a way of
slipping in and out of radio stations like going through a revolving door. In
fact, his own book reflects his self-named career, Radio on the
Run: Hired 40 Times … Fired 22.
-Sacto%2008%2027%2075%20no%20DJs%20cvr%20crop%2050Yrs%20mini.jpg)
As we scoot up the coast to Portland, Oregon, it’s with heavy hearts and misty eyes, we peruse the KISN 91 radio survey and its early image of Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne at the height of their run, lounging on the cover. A simple review of history has turned into a tribute to Ozzy, our self-proclaimed “Prince of Darkness” with his July 22, 2025, rise to Rock & Roll Heaven. R.I.P. His Back to the Beginning concert event July 5, 2025, raised $184,907,335.01 (£140 million) for charity. Giving back before he even left. Awesome.
Finally, slip-sliding down to San Diego, we finish our Endless Summer with August’s Featured Radio Survey, and San Diego’s celebrated Top 40 station, KCBQ, August 25, 1975 …
So sorry, but you’ll have to wait for the radio survey finale. I’ll try not to take too long, but am hoping you’ll find it’s worth the wait! Coming soon, Featured Radio Survey, Song of Note and more music trivia and tidbits to Rock your Summer!
Let’s Enjoy AUGUST 1975 and … Rock our Endless Summer Hits!
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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