Rock Radio 50 Years Ago ~ JULY 1975

An Age-old Query Heats up Summer Airwaves  

Mid-to-late 1970s music was Pop Rock and Disco at its best. Which is to say, according to many “true” Rock & Roll fans, the music was mellowing … at least for a time. Disco tunes began filling up the Top 10, but we’re still heating up Summer with a lighter side of unrest … 50 Years Ago this Month … and away we go …

º JULY 1975 Radio News & Muse ♪ 

Radio stations flipping formats is an inherent trait of the trade. This month 50 Years Ago, KRRV—K-Red River Valley—in the heart of Texas (Dallas) did the unthinkable. It switched from Country music (go figure, in Texas) to Top 40 and became KIKM for several years. Yeehaw. And ... 

July 5^th: Pink Floyd were riding high, coming off their spectacular The Dark Side of the Moon album. A bit spent and wondering where to go next with their music, they sought to rationalize their success through 9^th album and same-named tour, Wish You Were Here. 
       Unfortunately, their final tour performance on this date two months before its official release, was less than stellar at the Knebworth music festival in the UK. Hoping for rave reviews, pyrotechnics and plane flyovers and all, they received lukewarm comments, due mostly to technical difficulties. It has, however, stood the test of time. As one music lover said, Wish You Were Here is … one of the most emotionally resonant albums in Rock history. 
       Personal comment: I would never disparage Pink Floyd. They’re phenomenal. However, about stage performances in general, after many years of escalating theatrics and especially dangerous ones, I’m still at a loss as to why that’s a part of concerts at all. In my humble opinion, it detracts from enjoying a truly talented performance for its merit.

July 20^th: It's reported that Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band were strapped for dollars to complete their Born to Run album, so they played concerts like crazy from 1974-‘77. Smack dab in the middle, they kicked off the “official” tour a month prior to its release date, on THIS date at the Palace Theatre in Providence, Rhode Island. Were you there? Then you also saw that Steven Van Zandt energized the band as a full-fledged member.  ♪ … In the day we sweat it out on the streets | Of a runaway American dream … We gotta get out while we’re young | ‘Cause tramps like us, baby we were born to run … ♪  

♪ On Your Tinny Transistor Radio ♪  
Where were you bein’ silly in the Summer of ’75? Was it your coming-of-age year or another year of cool pool parties and hot Rockin’ Radio sounds in Bakersfield, California, or maybe Chi-ca-go? Here’s a sample of what and who you were listening to …

Dynamite DJs spun our top tunes with career highlight years, and one of the decade’s few female DJs, making her mark in broadcasting. We’re talkin’ Rockin’ love, a little Country & Disco! 

Who remembers the plum of Bakersfield, DJ Nancy Plum, and her fave cowboy hat? Though Nancy held down the fort in the midnight-to-6:00a spot for Rockin’ station, KAFY in the heart of central California, her heart Rocked with Country. She spent a lot of time at Country stations, prior to this gig. Was she the reason Glen Campbell’s “Rhinestone Cowboy” was in KAFY’s Top 10? From Country to jazz to funk and Rock, Nancy made her station, your station. 
       If the Plum was your go-to DJ pal while you partied the night away, you’ll be glad to know she danced through the decades honing her broadcast skills, and wrote all about ‘em in her rompin’ book, Do Not Air: Radio Stories and "Other Stuff”. “What's really awesome is that today, Nancy Plum continues to be one of America's most popular disc jockeys, heard nationwide on Passport Radio on the web,” says her blurb. Now, her tunes are “5 at 5 Jukebox Jams” and the “60’s at 6.”
       At KAFY, you’d swear she turned the station Country, as she crouches in boots and cowboy hat, next to a race car proudly sporting her name. The survey says, “You’ve Gotta be Plum Crazy!” Well, it’s a known fact that most DJs of the day were a little on the wild side … though Nancy sat behind a mic for work, she had a love for aviation that landed her in later years as an airborne reporter for KFWB News 980 in L.A. She musta been good, as in 2000 she claimed a Golden Mic award from the Southern California Radio and Television News Association.
       What top tunes was Nancy spinning at KAFY in July 1975? #1 – “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” asked WAR; #2 – “The Hustle,” heated up Disco by Van McCoy; and #3 – “Please Mr. Please,” begging for another song, by Olivia Newton-John.

While land-locked Californians listened to Nancy Plum on restless nights, DJ duo, Dick Sainte (Richard Arnold Middleton) and Doug Dahlgren, kept WCFL/Chicago listeners jumpin’ with their Dick and Doug Show.
       Though highly popular for years in Chicago, the guys, transplanted from Portland, Oregon, didn’t make a career to retire from in the Windy City. It was easy to struggle with all that was the Psychedelic ‘70s, and by all accounts, ‘CFL was their career highlight. Obviously frustrated about the station changing formats in 1976, they didn’t help matters any (or themselves), by bad-mouthing all things WCFL in the weeks leading up to its switch to elevator music. This account of Dick and Doug’s final show by pioneering DJ Jim Bartlett, is an interesting take by a jock who had experienced his first full-time station send-off in a rare, congenial manner.
       Dick and Doug’s mics were finally cut about a half-hour before the show’s scheduled sign-off, marking “the end” of their ‘CFL gig, March 12, 1976. Sadly for their fans, they couldn’t get work together again after, and though going their own ways, both eventually migrated back to the Pacific Northwest. Dick Sainte passed away at the age of 67 (12/10/2005), and Doug Dahlgren joined him in Rock & Roll Heaven just last year (11/30/2024), at the age of 82.
       While it’s frustrating to recount only a fraction of extraordinary lives lived, we are generally defined by one or two memorable moments from our full spectrum of fun in the sun. WCFL was that for both Dick and Doug.
       So, ‘CFL/Chicago fans, what were you listening to with the incomparable Dick and Doug? Spinning the 3 top spots of the chart: #1 – ironically, “Love Will Keep Us Together” by The Captain & Tennille; #2 – Paul McCartney reminding you, “Listen to What the Man Said”; and #3 – “One of These Nights,” promised the Eagles. 

♪ JULY ’75 Song of Note ♪      
This month’s Song of Note struck a note with listeners in 1975, peaking at #1 on KAFY/Bakersfield charts and still rising at #9 for WCFL/Chicago fans. The band’s name is markedly incongruous to the song’s title, and yet offers a simple solution for … WAR, “Why Can’t We Be Friends?”

       It’s an especially poignant question, considering recentglobal events … and the daily unrest still today, in our own country. We could also ask, “Why is there so much hatred?” and be no closer to peace.
       Founding member of the popular funk/soul/jazz/Rock group, Leroy “Lonnie” Jordan and the band, used songwriter/producer, Jerry Goldstein’s influence to offer harmony with all their music, in troubled times. The song was even chosen by NASA, beaming the hopeful tune up to space to bond U.S. astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts in their space journey, this same month, for Apollo-Soyuz Test Project.
       I rarely quote more than a line or two from sources, but WAR drummer, Harold Brown told Songfacts a philosophy about “Why Can’t We Be Friends?” origin that bears repeating … over and over and over: The band got the idea for this song when they were traveling in Japan in the early '70s …”We're all connected by language, and by our food, and by our culture. Most racists don't know why they're racist. But you pick them up and take them over and drop them in a country, like India or Pakistan, guess what? 'Why can't we be friends?' Because all of a sudden you find out we're more alike inside than we are on the outside. We started realizing that that's really important. You travel all over the world, you can't speak a lot of their language. But one thing they do know, they know your body language, how you may react." 
       With July 2025 still in the throes of discontent, the Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles, felt the need to honor WAR and their optimistic messages of peace, with a star (June 5, 2025) to commemorate their 50^th anniversary of the song’s same titled album. Are the song’s lyrics still relevant? You be the judge … 
♪ … I'd kinda like to be the President | So I can show you how your money's spent | Why can't we be friends? … ♪      

♪ July 2025 Music Events & More ♪    

Monday ~ July 7^th: Although the National Day of Rock ’n’ ‘Roll is listed on some holiday calendars, there is no definitive link to a supporting site. So let’s just roll with it! It’s described as a day to celebrate the climb of emerging Rock Radio up the charts as it gained popularity in mid-1950s through 1960s. And we’re all about that! The legends, the culture, the music and the Radio that urged us to dance, people, dance! Now would be a great day to watch Dirty Dancing (again).
       And yes, there is an International Day of Rock ‘n’ Roll on July 13^th, but is apparently only supported in Brazil and Ireland. Really? Never would’ve thunk it …  

Wednesday ~ July 30^th: And I guess the former sponsors of Paperback Book Day gave up, with the proliferation of eBooks and audio books. Well, we aging 39ers don’t give up so easily. I STILL sell Blast from Your Past paperback books! (Hence, the links 😊) Enjoy the true tales of Rock & Roll Radio DJs in the 1960s! (1954-1959 in eBook only) Thank you Rock & Roll friends. 

♪♪ BFYP Featured Radio Survey ♪♪   
July 26, 1975 ~ WCFL/Chicago, Illinois, turned up the Summer heat with a Top 40 lineup that had something everyone. Feeling funky? Hankerin’ for Country? Want to jive to a Jazzy tune? Sure, it’s all there, but iconic ‘70s Rock & Roll is dominant. When it comes to big-time Rock Radio stations, ‘CFL had it all and many of the best pioneering Radio DJs. What’s your music flavor … 50 Years Ago this Month? Where were you that groovy day when your radio played … 

Let’s Enjoy JULY 1975 and … Rockin’ Hot Memories!  

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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Rock Radio 50 Years Ago ~ JUNE 1975

Ready for a Summer Sing-Along Game?    

Finally—Summer is here and we’re slathering our skin with SPF50 sunscreen—well, those of us who remember June 1975, anyway! Are you ready? Even if you don’t live near water, take a few minutes to read through our sizzling first Summer month of Oldies memories, picturing balmy breezes with sun, song and surf 50 Years Ago this Month …   

º JUNE 1975 Radio News & Muse ♪    

We’re reminiscing through the Summer with an obscure radio station, a short shark story, and The Eagles flying high … turn the volume up and let’s dance!

♪ On Your Tinny Transistor Radio ♪ 
This month, I’m devoting this section to our Featured Radio Survey station that enjoyed a rather short, convoluted existence, but they followed the ‘70s trend for fun music charts with flair. Were you welcoming Summer in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, June 1975? Here’s a sample of what and who you were listening to … 

Bill G & KVIL!

 WPEZ-FM was then, an obscure station, even to folks in Pennsylvania radio. That didn’t deter them from playing the Top 25 hits and listing them for fans with bold, cheeky art. Tongue-in-cheek, WPEZ published their June 13, 1975, issue #24, Vol. 2, listing “Magic” by Pilot in the top spot.
       You don’t need to be 60+ years old to know of this once simple, upbeat song … at least the intro … we ALL know it. When I checked with my magic radio historian, DJ emeritus, Bill Gardner, he spotted #1 on the chart and said, “Ah yes, the now nauseating, overplayed song it’s become for Ozempic!” Think of the Ozempic ad, then sing, Ho, ho, ho, it’s Magic! Yep, it’s that song. Then he mused about the chart’s full list of iconic tunes, “I was playing them all on KVIL-FM & AM/Dallas Ft.Worth! I remember KQV in Pittsburgh and a couple others, but not WPEZ …” Like I said … obscure … 
              With some deep-dive research I learned that WPEZ fought its simulcast partner, WWSW, for Top 40 success, late 1973. This month’s chart listing includes a pic of overnight DJ, Brother Al, but that wasn’t much to go on for research—if anyone knows his history, feel free to send it over!
       The station played the top tunes for a short six-to-seven years; music charts* are found from February 1974-April 1980, before disappearing altogether. Its final #1 song was, ironically, “Pink Floyd – Another Brick In The Wall (Part II).”
       Apparently, it was magic that helped it last that long … ♪ … Ho, ho, ho | It's magic | you know, never believe it's not so | Lazy day in bed | Music in my head | Crazy music playing in the morning light … ♪    
*Not a secure site, but great music chart archives, if you choose to visit at your own risk. 

June 10^th: Any Eagles fans out there?! Emulating my favorite bird and in my top ten pioneering bands, The Eagles released their fourth studio album, One of These Nights, on this date in 1975. It’s the one that launched them into the stratosphere as a musical force to be reckoned with. A founding member, Glen Frey (1948-2016), is reported as saying the second single released from the album, “Lyin’ Eyes” (released in August) was his all-time favorite (and mine). Of course, it prob’ly helped that it was the only song from the album on which he sang lead.
       But read the lyrics … it’s also one of the few Rock tunes that tells the story in a long song without repeating other than the chorus. ♪ … And your smile is a thin disguise | I thought by now you'd realize | There ain't no way to hide your lyin' eyes … ♪     
       Still jammin’ in one form or another, you can see The Eagles next at Sphere, Las Vegas, where they added eight new shows due to high demand, starting October 3, 2025.

What other fun did DJ Bill Gardner run into as we listened to a tune destined to be a household melody? “I recall taking a June '75 vacation,” said Bill, “with my new girlfriend ‘Mike’ (Michaeletta, now the long-suffering Mrs. Gardner) for my first ever trip to her beautiful homeland, Hawaii! … So, how to kill a few hours in Honolulu while I wait to dive the seas off Mākaha on Oahu's western shores? ‘I know,’ I exclaimed to Mike, ‘let's go see that new movie Jaws that just opened!’ One of my dumber moves, since a few hours later while diving, I'd be terrified by every fish larger than my arm that we came upon!” Well, ya know, Bill, that Mākaha translates to “fierce” or “savage” in Hawaiian. Gotta love a great Summer shark story! (Image: Bill Gardner & “Mike” on their wedding day four years later!) 

♪ JUNE ’75 Song of Note ♪
Hey karaoke funsters, how long has it been since you regaled your fans with “Pinball Wizard”? The catchy tune is officially half-a-century old in its Elton John hit version, and has weathered the test of time to become a fun Saturday night sing-along song! 
       As our first Summer Song of Note, I delved into a little history and was reminded that the wildly popular Elton John hit tune had been around since 1969, when The Who featured it in their pioneering rock opera album, Tommy.
       The film version of Tommy was released in March 1975 and Elton John sang it into super-stardom to the top of the music charts by June, helping to make it a bona fide icon. This month in 1975, it’s #2 with fans at WPEZ/Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
       Grab some friends, set up a karaoke game for a little friendly competition and SING ♪ … He's a pinball wizard, there has to be a twist | A pinball wizard got such a supple wrist … ♪  

♪ Quirky Song Title Award ♪  
If I hadn’t looked it up, I wouldn’t have known … do you? … “Only Women Bleed,” the pick for our June Quirky Song Title Award, hails from Alice Cooper’s first album. However, the vinyl record single release debuted its title as “Only Women.” Do you know why? 
       While the dual inference is unfortunate, its original title nearly doomed it from the beginning, recalls Alice’s co-writer, Dick Wagner. Many fans and radio station execs (especially women) mistook the “only women bleed” words as a reference to menstruation, which limited its airplay. In fact, the scrappy Rock ballad refers to an abusive marriage. Huh. 
       Alice Cooper’s “bad boy” reputation likely contributed to the confusion; but do you think those fans who voted it all the way up to #5 at WPEZ/Pittsburgh knew its meaning? The progressive station printed its full title and even featured its lyrics (with a couple of typos) ♪ … You know you hate this game | He slaps you once in a while | and you live and love in pain … ♪   
       So what is Alice up to these days? He and the original band members hook up for a 50-year class reunion with a new album, The Revenge of Alice Cooper, to be released July 25^th.   

♪ JUNE 2025 Music Events & More ♪    

Turn up the radio and celebrate National DJ Month! As a writer of books about pioneering Rock & Roll Radio DJs, I applaud the sponsor for establishing a month of honor for Disc Jockey / Radio Broadcasters, however, in visiting their site, you’ll find it’s predominantly about the music industry and artists—not broadcasters. C’est la vie! You know where to find your historical DJ info. 😊
       And my personal thanks to all the great West Coast DJs I’ve listened to for 50 Years! Recognize any names? Dr. Don Rose, my DJ history mentor, Bill Gardner, Shotgun Tom Kelly, Tom & Raechel Donahue, Dave Mason, the one and only Wolfman Jack and so many more! How about you? Did you hang on every word from Cousin Bruce Morrow, Joey Reynolds, Jim Higgs, or other great DJs across the country? Give your fave radio broadcaster a thought or two as you go about your month of memories. John R. told me, you don’t work for the radio station. You work for the people out there. ~ Wolfman Jack    

♪♪ JUNE ‘75 Featured Radio Survey ♪♪   
June 13, 1975 ~ WPEZ-FM/Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Volume 2 #24 ~ this month’s survey has it all! A sexy babe in her Summer bikini (don’t get excited, it’s a caricature), lyrics to a controversial hit song, a denim-clad hippie dude, and hip DJ “Brother Al” touting his overnight 2:00-6:00a.m. gig.

       But it doesn’t stop there—for whatever reason, the artist went wild with parodies of Sherlock Holmes, an Indian snake-charmer, a superhero named Z-Man, a motorcycle jockey, and a bespectacled hamburger named “Steve”! Can’t get much more ‘70s psychedelic than that. Oh, and of course, the Top 25 hottest Summer tunes in Pittsburgh! Rock On … 50 Years Ago this Month in Rock & Roll Radio! Where were you that groovy day when your radio played … 

Let’s Enjoy JUNE 1975 and … Rockin’ Hot Memories!  

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 

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ 

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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