Rock Radio 50 Years Ago ~ SEPTEMBER 1975

Rockin' Oldies in Fall Fame & Glory    

Complete September Edition! Here we go, Rock & Roll fans … slippin’ ‘n’ slidin’ into September, making it just a hop-skip-and-jump to the Holidays! Okay, okay, slippery slope aside, let’s enjoy this month, and all the amazing, iconic Rock & Roll that came with it … 50 Years Ago this Month … 

º SEPTEMBER 1975 Radio News & Muse ♪ 
Rockin’ news that was the news … as best I can. Though I labored this Labor Day with the aftereffects of the Summer broken toe, I’m finally moving on and making progress. Thanks for your understanding and let's get kickin' those Fall falling leaves! September 1, 1975, began with …

September 1^st: KOL-AM/Seattle, Washington, has had a long history of flipping and flopping and buying and selling, both before and after this date, when it slipped from progressive Rock to Country as KMPS. “Kountry Music Puget Sound” didn’t last either, as another (final?) sale prompted their call sign to eventually return as KKOL in 1997, and on-and-on-and on … the most comprehensive (and long) history of the station I found, is in the link in the first line. It is NOT however, a “secure” link. Use at your own risk.

September 10^th: Were you alive when the raucous KISS released their first live album, Alive? They certainly added to the excitement of 1975. Recorded May through July in four concerts during their Dressed To Kill Tour, it is their fourth album overall. But Alive churned the Rock & Roll waters eventually—after much overdubbing, according to some sources—capturing the essence of KISS that had been missing in previous studio albums. When released, Alive was panned, but time has been kind. Some suggest it heavily influenced Metal and Punk music and launched KISS into the big time.

September 12^th: A busy month for album releases as the incomparable Pink Floyd were nostalgic for their co-founder, Syd Barrett, peddling their 9^th album, Wish You Were Here. Again, time appears to be a factor in the album’s reception. At first considered unremarkable, it is now hailed as one of Rolling Stone’s listed 500 greatest albums ever. By September 25^th it had reached #1 in the US and certified gold in both UK and US by year’s end.

♪ On Your Tinny Transistor Radio ♪  
Where were you listening to September songs to remember in 1975? San Diego or Bakersfield, California? Whether West Coast or hearing the radio airwaves of the future echo across the country, here’s a sample of what and who you were listening to …

Along with WIBG/Philadelphia and WCFL/Chicago, I likely have more KCBQ/San Diego, California, vintage surveys than all the others combined. After all, I am a “California Girl” as the Beach Boys, once warbled. Point is, ya get another KCBQ “Q Hits” for September 1975.
       About this time, KCBQ seemed to be slowing down on the pop music. Their “plain” survey for September 8, 1975, “Card #231,” may be a precursor to their 1978 flip from Top 40 to adult contemporary … they never again quite reached their earlier fame. But the station is still revered by Rock & Roll Radio buffs and “the locals,” largely thanks to perennial local pop DJ, Shotgun Tom Kelly.

       The “Q Hits” survey still lists “The Top Selling Songs in San Diego,” along with top albums and a print-out of lyrics for the #1 hit, Bee Gee’s “Jive Talkin,” though no promos for station DJs, local concerts, or unique era art. Pretty boring, compared to … 

KERN Radio was hoppin’ in Bakersfield, California, with their September 12, 1975, hit music list and super-Psychedelic Seventies “Super Comics”! In the rare Issue #3, their artistic graphics story follows KERN’s DJ Jay J. Jackson as he toodles around the studio answering listeners’ calls and spinning the vinyls, with a little behind the scenes bumbling fun …
       What was it like in Bakersfield mid-1970s? About the same as a former DJs’ hilarious description when he snagged his first “real” job at KERN in 1971. Anyone remember Ken Stevens (Levine) or by his creative studio name, “Truck-Ken Stevens” on the air, before he became an Emmy winning writer?
       He described his query when told to send a demo tape to the program director, “I asked if I could drive up there and play it for him. With such a plum assignment as six hours a week on a station no one listened to in the middle of nowhere in sweltering summer heat for minimum wage I didn’t want to leave anything to chance.” Ken’s full article is nothing short of hilarious, especially if you know inland/central California. 
       Although Bakersfield’s KAFY radio is legendary, KERN was no slouch in attracting accolades, as one
of the first stations in the early ‘70s to air the iconic American Top 40 syndicated countdown show, with host, Casey Kasem. Program Director, Johnny Mitchell and Music Director, Phil Drake, likely had a hand in that coup. 
       DJ Russ Gerber is also shown lounging on the survey to hawk his 10a.m. to 3p.m. slot. If a listing on an old radio site is correct, KERN looks to be Russ’s first radio gig from 1972-1975. We’ll see him again in March 1976 (2026) as he “rustles up some music” for KERN listeners in survey Issue #28.
       Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any background listings for our September Super Comics hero, Jay J. Jackson. We know he remained spinning the classics in California’s Dust Bowl at least through Christmas, 1975, but beyond that, I could find no definitive information. There is another “Triple-J” early DJ—John Julian Jackson—but based on the survey comics image, KERN’s DJ isn’t Black nor could I find that the former MTV VJ ever worked at KERN. Anyone have any knowledge of our Featured Radio Survey DJ Jay J. Jackson? Let me know!

♪ September ’75 Song of Note ♪  

I rarely apply our monthly Song of Note to the #1 hit on the Featured Radio Survey, as it often gets lots of attention while it climbs the chart. However, I have a feeling radio listeners of the day were fascinated by David Bowie’s lament of “Fame,” if they ever bothered to actually listen to the lyrics.
       Bowie was so distraught about fame’s true status in life that he did what all songwriters do when the emotion of reality becomes overwhelming … he wrote a song about it. ♪ … Fame, it's not your brain, it's just the flame | That burns your change to keep you in... sane … ♪     
       Of course, our celebs today aren’t so subtle about the downfalls of fame … thanks to social media, barely a twinkle in a handful of tech wizards’ eyes in 1975, high-profile people now have a platform to cry openly about the vagaries of their rich, but lacking lives.
        For Bowie, he disguised displeasure with his business manager in song. Worded so we could all lament with him, it was still a bitter pill to swallow as he lost significant income on a doomed off-Broadway show his manager conceived, with the same title. That “Fame” closed after the first night.
       No less cynical in a 1990 interview, Bowie said of fame, “I've left all that behind me, now... I think fame itself is not a rewarding thing. The most you can say is that it gets you a seat in restaurants." I would say, chalk it up to a learning experience. Celeb or not, people are duped every day (now, moreso than ever!). For now, let's just sing along with the song …

♪ Quirky Band Name Award ♪ 
I’m resurrecting the Quirky Band Name Award for September, with three fun contenders: In a blending of Country Rock bands, Fatback and The Rhythm Aces, the Amazing Rhythm Aces built their fame on September’s #4 hit at KERN, “Third Rate Romance.” (The song also qualifies as a one-hit wonder.) Interesting, but not amazing.  
       Second thought, came with British glam Rock band, “Sweet,” who before they hit the big time was known as the Sweetshop (cute). In September ’75 KERN’s listeners bumped Sweet’s “Ballroom Blitz” up to #16 (also considered by some to be a one-hit wonder), but not long after, they ran out of air with their final hit, “Love Is Like Oxygen,” in 1978.
       So here we are … “Holdin’ On To Yesterday” with Ambrosia, bestowed September 1975’s Quirky Band Name Award. Not only do they have an apropos tune to remember, but their band name took real thought … and a dictionary!
       Believe it or not, they began as “Ambergris Mite” which loosely defines as a waxy goo floating on tropical waters. Its redeeming feature was used in perfumery. What were they thinking? More astounding, there was already a band using “Amergris.” So they hauled out the dictionary, went through the A-words and spotted “Ambrosia,” a revered substance served to the Greek gods alternately referred to as food or drink … yeah, I think they went with the right name … fun etymology and though their “Holdin’ On To Yesterday” is headed down the KERN chart at #14, the lead single from their debut self-titled album is a great end-of-Summer song. ♪ … I keep holdin' on to yesterday | I keep holdin' on enough to say | That I'm wrong, wrong, wrong | To keep holdin' on … ♪      

♪ September 2025 Music Events & More ♪   

Since I have often referred to early Rock & Roll as a melting pot of all music that came before, it’s worth mentioning that September is Classical Music Month. The link is for the official designation in 1994, so no real sponsoring site. Just tick through our September songs and I’m sure you’ll find at least one that obviously utilizes Classical Music.
       Just last month (August), I featured the Carpenters’ “Solitaire” written by Neil Sedaka, in 39 and Holding’s article. He was a big fan of Chopin and integrated the classical pianist’s musical artistry into the ballad. Also mentioned is Barry Manilow’s “Could It Be Magic,” still on this month’s charts, in which he drew heavily on Chopin, with a note-for-note intro. So don’t turn your nose up at Classical Music—ask instead, how can you incorporate it into your own music? 

Thursday ~ September 25^th: Don’t know why, but the original sponsor for National One-Hit Wonder Day gave up on this fun, annual recognition day. No worries—I found a couple of fun sites for you to explore and remember, especially for September! Look for the Amazing Rhythm Aces’ “Third Rate Romance” (#4/KERN) and “Your Love” by Graham Central Station, or here for even more tunes classified as a band or artist’s only Top 40 Hit.

♪♪ BFYP Featured Radio Survey ♪♪  
SEPTEMBER 12, 1975 ~ KERN/Bakersfield, California … are you ready for some expansive, flowing, Psychedelic Seventies’ Radio survey art? Everything seemed larger than life in the middle of the decade, including our expression of graphics. You wouldn’t expect a dusty town in central California to produce such entertaining art! Their Super Comics survey is a delight with fun caricatures of DJs Jay J. Jackson and Russ Gerber. Too bad there isn’t an artist’s signature to acknowledge. “The sounds of music can be heard from Studio ‘J’!”
       And maybe you’ll notice the Royal Copy and Printing shop ad with the query, “Inflation gotcha?” Yes, prices were an issue even … 50 Years Ago this Month in Rock & Roll Radio! Where were you that groovy day when your radio played …  

Rock SEPTEMBER 1975 … with Fame & Glory!  

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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