Happy Holidays! Is this month’s title a
little confusing? Do you think I’ve finally gone senile? Well, maybe, but not
completely. You’ll understand when you get down to our December Song of Note.
It is totally apropos to the nostalgic Holidays and how music comes from the
soul.
Um, just one quick note as we Rock into December ... there are many more links, images, and just plain fun, yet to post. But don't stop reading! The meat of it is below, with final touches coming asap. Plenty to read, so Rock On!
As hinted in previous months, December’s Featured
Radio Survey is another hype for Wolfman Jack. But that’s not all you’re gonna hear from him
… not only does the inimitable Wolfman end our year on a sweeping high note, he
also begins our New Year! Just not at the same station or even the same state.
Radio DJs have always been known as
musical nomads, skipping around the country, going where the money and fun lead
the pack. But by this time, Wolfman had established his popular, syndicated
shows and could pop up anywhere, anytime. So it isn’t surprising that we see
him sashay from Portland this month, to Georgia in January.
That said, let’s take a peek at what and who you were listening to … 50 Years Ago this Month!
º DECEMBER 1975 Radio News & Muse ♪
What music icon was in the news and what was your fave DJ playing when you turned on your tinny transistor radio 50 Years Ago?
December 6th: Were you there?! As The Who toured the country in The Who by Numbers Tour, they played their biggest crowd at the Pontiac Silverdome, with 75,000+ screaming fans—setting the largest indoor concert to date.
December 14th: While we Boomers knew of the notorious offshore pirate radio stations of the 1960s, the ‘70s brought their own adored DJ scoundrels to land, in low-powered transmitters. On this day 1975, WCPR-1620AM/Brooklyn, New York, began broadcasting … which apparently lasted for only two months, but it made the news! Want to know more about pirate radio? Click the link.
December 25th: Oh, sure, it’s Christmas Day, but in 1975 the macabre gift under the tree was one of Britain’s pioneering heavy metal bands, Iron Maiden. Steve Harris says he formed the band and likened it to the torture device in The Man in the Iron Mask (1939 movie).
December 31st: Speaking of the Pontiac Silverdome, it was a New Year’s Eve spectacular with the irrepressible Elvis Presley facing the largest audience of cheering fans in his career … and splitting his pants onstage. Oh, my!
Let’s start in chilly Minnesota where KDWB
wowed its fans with a music chart featuring bawdy, ballsy and hilariously lusty
cartoon characters, to warm them up. The Playboy magazine reference is
your hint of who sponsored it. It’s quintessential 1970s right down to the
salacious lyrics of “That’s the Way (I Like It),” by K.C. & The Sunshine
Band. It does, however, come with a music chart mystery.
In my collection of vintage
surveys, I have a few without printed dates. Generally, the seller had already
established the date and either indicated it on the sales paperwork, or
stupidly written on the vintage survey. Purchased way back in 2010, this KDWB
chart is of the latter category.
I didn’t have any reason to doubt
the handwritten December 1, 1975 date—until now. I often consult the
incomparably comprehensive ARSA survey archive (not a secure site) to validate accuracy. However, even that didn’t
help with KDWB. Their offering did not include the usual survey image to
establish its authenticity; unverified lists were available, but none of their
Top 20 hits exactly matched the KDWB survey in my collection. I give
up—it’s either the November 25, 1975 issue or the December 2, 1975
issue … your guess is as good as mine!
I’m leaning toward the November
issue, and though that puts it in last month, I’m still including it here, ‘cause
it’s such a fun survey. And our best BFYP DJ emeritus, Bill Gardner, sat
behind their mic in December 1973! LOVE this Holiday pic from
that year, of the station employees …
From
radio survey mystery to Radio DJ mastery, we’re now in Portland, Oregon,
listening to the pioneering DJ to whom my Blast
From Your Past books are dedicated, Wolfman Jack!
Portland/Vancouver Radio fans were
jacking up their Saturday nights from 10:00p to 1:00a, listening to Wolfman Jack on KISN.
“When my syndication activity was at its peak, and I was on the armed Forces
Network, I was on some 1,400 radio stations worldwide. That included Vietnam,
of course.” Wolfman was humbled by the stories returning Vets told him. “By
doing my thing in a Hollywood studio, I was helping them keep it together. And
they made it out the other end of a pretty hellish experience.” (Quotes from Wolfman
Jack’s Have
Mercy! Confessions of the Original Rock ‘n’ Roll Animal.)
KISN may be
in what many might call the po-dunk of the Pacific Northwest, but it’s mostly
been a die-hard, original Top 40 Rock & Roll station since 1959! Many
top-ranking Radio DJs sat behind their mics, including "The Real" Don Steele. So they’re OK in our book! However,
the FCC wasn’t as enamored of Star Stations, its parent company. It wasn’t long
before they were unceremoniously given the boot off broadcasting for
shenanigans stemming from WIFE/Indianapolis IN. They endure today, though in a low-key way.
But no self-respecting end-of-year Oldies Radio article would be complete without a couple of top tune Year End Surveys!
Powerhouse station WABC/New York MusicRadio 77 gave its listeners a huge Top 100 Hit List roundup of the year, with a cool cover graphic. WIND/Chicago was no slouch either, with their Top 56 tunes and awesome pics of their ten dynamic DJs. You’ll find these charts at the bottom of the Featured Radio Survey page.
♪ December 1975 Song of Note ♪
Heartfelt
music is a running theme through the Holidays, so our December Song of Note
gives
music its due. You may think you know what Barry Manilow’s #1 tune, “I Write the
Songs”
is about … but you don’t, if you think he’s just bragging.
Written by Beach Boys member,
Bruce Johnston, as quoted from SongFacts.com, “I wrote
it about 'where music comes from' (for me, music comes only from God).” Manilow
had his reservations about recording it, and rightly so—many fans always thought
he was being egotistical. But he simply agreed with Johnston … music is … My
home lies deep within you | And I've got my own place in your soul …
♪ December 2025 Music Events & More ♪
Saturday/Sunday ~ December 13th-14th: I generally report only Rock & Roll events here, and though this is about a song-and-dance man, what makes Dick Van Dyke (b.12/13/1925) specific to BFYP is he also began as a Rock Radio DJ at the tender age of sixteen in Danville, Illinois, ohhhhhhh so many years ago. And this weekend is special, as his documentary, “Dick Van Dyke: 100th Celebration” is released in theatres on his 100th birthday. Go. Enjoy history in the making.
Thursday ~ December 25th: Of course, it’s Christmas Day! I hope you Rock around the Christmas tree and if you don’t have a tree, just Rock On!
Wednesday ~ December 31st: Have you been waiting all month for a festive New Years Eve? It’s here! Enjoy, be safe and face the New Year with a Rockin’ melody in your heart. See ya next year!
♪♪ BFYP Featured Radio Survey ♪♪
DECEMBER 1, 1975 ~ KISN/Portland, Oregon, is your Holiday
Rockin’ Radio Station! Can’t go wrong with Wolfman Jack on the cover, tellin’
ya, he’ll Rock your Saturday nights.
And there's more! Still on my computer, unfinished. Sigh. But it's gettin' there. As I said at the top, there are many more links, images, and just plain fun, yet to post. Please be patient and c'mon back soon!
Rock DECEMBER 1975 and … Reflect, Rejuvenate, Rejoice & Rock On!
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 PastTM series, available on Amazon: Book 1 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The First Five Years 1954-1959TM (eBook only; coming soon in updated print edition) and Book 2 – Rock & Roll Radio DJs: The Swinging SixtiesTM (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.comTM.
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!
RE:
AI – 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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