Being an account of some things I'm interested in, what I'm doing, and reflections on my past, especially music.
And I didn't even know it until Bob Stroud devoted his Ten at Ten on Chicago's WDRV, 97.1 FM, The Drive to John Fogerty music, both with that band (my favorite all-time band) and solo.
Born May 28, 1945, making him four days and six years older than me.
These are the songs Stroud played:
TEN AT TEN
Proud May
Bad Moon Rising (For many years the ringtone on my phone.)
Down on the Corner
Old Man Down the Road
Who'll Stop the Rain (I remember waking up on race day at the Indy 500 at the opening at 6 am and they started with this song when rain was expected.)
Centerfield
Fortunate Son
Rock and Roll Girls
Have You Ever Seen the Rain
Change in the Weather
Love That Creedence Clearwater Revival. --Roaderty
WEDNESDAY, MAY 8
Donovan's Reef for trivia.
THURSDAY, MAY 9
Breakfast with retired Magee teachers at Bristol 45 Diner. Fox Lake Legion.
FRIDAY, MAY 10
Johnny's Cafe in Fox Lake for fish fry. Fox Lake Legion for 50-50.
SATURDAY, MAY 11
Saylor Mick's in Spring Grove for the band Peter & the Versatiles.
SUNDAY, MAY 12
McHenry Legion and Sunnyside in Johnsburg.
--RoadDog
These are movies I saw in the theater this year.
17. DRIVE AWAY DOLLS-- 2-29-- Fox Lake-- $7-- Two gay women go on quite a road trip. Best movie line ever? "You're a day late and a dick short."
18. KUNG FU PANDA 4-- 3-12-- Woodstock-- $6-- The Dragon Warrior battles the Chameleon Lady and finds a successor.
19. ARTHUR THE KING-- 3-19-- Fox Lake-- $6-- An unexpected treat One of those feel-good movies. And you thought the triathalon was hard.
20. POOR THINGS-- 3-20-- Fox Lake-- $6-- Frankenstein meets nudity. Lots of unique characters in this one.
--RoadMovie
TUESDAY, APRIL 9
Sadly, it was now time to go home. I would be once again be taking two flights on Delta. One from Savannah to Atlanta, then one from Atlanta to Milwaukee. However, I didn't leave until late in the afternoon so Ed and I went over to the National Museum of the Mighty 8th Air Force in Pooler, Georgia.
This was one of the major units to bomb Germany during World War II and quite a museum. Just like the other museums I visited, I'll want to return next trip as there was just too much to see. We had an excellent lunch at Miss Sophie's Restaurant located on the premises.
I am happy to say that both legs of my return trip home went just like clock work.
So, I will fly once again.
--RoadDog
These songs were being played on Chicago's WLS 890 AM fifty years ago.
1. THE LOCO-MOTION-- Grand Funk
2. THE STREAK-- Ray Stevens
3. THE ENTERTAINER (MUSIC FROM THE STING)-- Marvin Hamlisch
4. STAR BABY-- Guess Who
5. COME AND GET YOUR LOVE-- Redbone
6. DANCING MACHINE-- Jackson Five
7. T S O P (THE SOUND OF PHILADELPHIA)-- MFSB & The 3 Degrees
8. THE SHOW MUST GO ON-- Three Dog Night
9. BENNIE AND THE JETS-- Elton John
10. BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME-- Gladys Knight & Pips
*************************
DEBUTS
15. (I'VE BEEN) SEARCHIN' SO LONG-- Chicago
16. MIDNIGHT AT THE OASIS-- Maria Muldaur
17. BILLY DON'T BE A HERO-- Bo Donaldson & The Heywoods
Name That Tune (from the above songs): "What's The Matter With Your Head? Yeah." Answer below. --RoadDog
"Come and Get Your Love"
Movies I saw at the theater.
13. DUNE--2-12-- Fox Lake-- $5-- Very confusing sci-fi movie, but I hadn't seen this when it came out and now part 2 is coming.
14. LISA FRANKENSTEIN-- 2-20-- Fox Lake-- $5-- A love story of a different sort. A misfit girl falls for a dead beau from the 1800s and Bobbetized a guy.
15. LAND OF BAD-- 2-20-- Fox Lake-- $5-- All the action and high yech you could ever want. Lots of folks got killed.
16. BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE-- 2-27-- Woodstock-- $6-- Great story, and of course, all that great reggae music.
--RoadMovie
Movies I saw at the theater in 2024:
9. ANYONE BUT YOU-- 1-30-- Fox Lake-- $5-- And they both meant it, but not really. Hilarious situations in this rom-com.
10. AMERICAN FICTION-- 2-1-- Fox Lake-- $7-- Here's to you "wokers. I'd vote for this as Best Picture.
11. GODZILLA MINUS ONE-- 2-1-- Fox Lake-- In black and white. A throw-back on those 1950s Japanese Godzilla movies. In Japanese.
12. ARGYLE-- 2-8--Fox Lake-- $7-- So, what's real and what's not. One way to write a book.
--RoadDog
MONDAY, APRIL 8
Trip to Savannah today. We took a tour of the Savannah Railroad Museum which features a round house and had a nice talk with some people refurbishing an old engine.
Then we walked over to the nearby Savannah Historical Museum which has a lot of stuff from all ages of the city's past. Also on the grounds are some of the recreated American Revolution Battle of Savannah where the Polish officer/American General Pulaski was killed.
Today was also the much hyped Day of the Eclipse. Ed and I didn't have the special glasses so didn't get too see it. Julie was more fortunate and was with someone who had the glasses so she got to see it.
My sister Julie has established a cat rescue house and was involved with that most of the time I was there. And, she did her best to get me to adopt one of those kittens and was sorely tempted, I must admit. She brought two kittens home for me to play with: Olaf and Daisy, but Daisy looked like one of those Star War Ewoks so that got to be her name.
Still Catless. --RoadCat
That's right, half a century ago. If you remember these when they came out you're getting mighty old.
1. THE STREAK-- Ray Stevens
2. THE LOCO-MOTION-- Grand Funk
3. THE ENTERTAINER (MUSIC FROM THE STING)-- Marvin Hamlisch
4. COME AS YOU ARE-- Redbone
5. T S O P (THE SOUND OF PHILADELPHIA)-- MSFB & The 3 Degrees
6. BENNIE AND THE JETS-- Elton John
7. DANCING MACHINE-- Jackson Five
8. THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPPENED TO ME-- Gladys Knight & the Pips
9. HOOKED ON A FEELING-- Blue Swede
10. THE LORD'S PRAYER-- Sister Janet Mead
********************DEBUTS
14. STAR BABY-- Guess Who
21. BAND ON THE RUN-- Paul McCartney & Wings
Name That Tune (from the above songs): "Hello Everyone, This Is Your Action Reporter." Answer below. --RoadDog
"The Streak"
SATURDAY, APRIL 6
Ed and I were off to Richmond Hill, Georgia, to the south of Savannah to visit Confederate For McAllister, site of several battles between the fort and Union ironclads as well as the destruction of the CSS Nashville.
We then went by Julie's old house in Richmond Hill.
We feasted in a low country boil which was bought from Wood's Seafood near their house. We had more than enough for just $25.
SUNDAY, APRIL 7
Went to church with them at a modernistic one near them, then had breakfast at Henry's. Later took a ride north to Bluffton, South Carolina and did a walk-through of Julie's son's nearly-completed home which is quite a structure.
--RoadGa.
Yep, one of my all time favorite songs with that "Ooga Chaka." And, it was on the WLS Top Ten charts for a long time 50 years ago. When I played it while deejaying, I had a special cut where the "Ooga Chaka" played three times over at the beginning.
From The American Songwriter "The Story Behind the One-Hit Wonder "Hooked on a Feeling" by Blue Swede.
The song was a cover version of the 1968 hit by B.J. Thomas which was written by Mark James (who also wrote Elvis Presley's "Suspicious Minds"). That song peaked at number five in the Billboard Hot 100 that year.
The famous "ooga chaka ooga chaka" was the result of another cover of the song by English singer/songwriter Jonathan King who recorded it in 1971 and added it. So, Blue Swede was doing the cover of a cover of the song.
King had been inspired to add it after listening to Johnny Preston's 1959 song "Running Bear." Listen to it and you will see.
It was Blue Swede's first and only song to reach #1 in the U.S. where the song had the most success. It remained on the Billboard charts for a remarkable 18 weeks.
Blue Swede only remained as a band from 1973 to 1975.
The song was featured on the movies ""Reservoir Dogs" in 1992 and 2014's "Guardians of the Galaxy."
Still Loving That Ooga Chaka. --RoadChaka
Flowers a'blooming right now. All part of my beginning to end season color that I strive for.
Tulips still blooming, but fading, azaleas all red, candy tufts are white, a yellow flower perennial with gray stems, lavendar creeping phlox and lilacs in their purple.
After Saturday, my huge burn pile is way down.
Dandelions all over the place and grass growing fast.
A lot of my yews haven't been trimmed in years as well as a lot of weed trees which I will have cut down by a landscaping company.
Always something to do outside and it is a lot harder these days for some reason.
--RoadDog
My sister Julie's boyfriend, Ed, really could be my brother from another mother. We are really a lot alike. He is a history nut, overly zealous collector and was even a deejay. I sure did a lot with him while there.
APRIL 4, THURSDAY
A really busy day. We (that would be Ed and I) went to Parris Island, a huge USMC training base and visited the museum there, then to Fort Fremont, an 1898 battery and drove around Beaufort S.C. and saw the house where the movie "The Big Chill" was filmed then went to the Beaufort National Cemetery and paid our respects at the Confederate section.
Later, we went to a train club meeting at the Savannah Round House and then saw a concert by Ricky Skaggs and his band.
APRIL 5, FRIDAY
This was record store day for us. We went to Rody's in Savannah where I bought a Delbert McClinton and James Hunter Six CD. Next was Coastal Records in Wilmington, Ga. (near Tybee Island). I found out we were close to Huc-A-Poos on Tybee and went there. Ed had never even heard of it. Talk about an experience.
Then it was to Julie's cat rescue house and Ed's Ranch where he has a huge model train layout.
--RoadDog
From Wednesday, April 3 to Tuesday, April 9, I flew from Milwaukee to Savannah by way of Atlanta and back for a seven day visit with my sister and her boyfriend. I hadn't been on a plane for many years, but am thinking of flying more often now.
I am writing more extensively about the trip in my RoadDog's RoadLog blog.
April 3-- Wednesday
It was a rather eventful trip to Savannah and essentially involved all day after the flight out of Milwaukee on Delta was delayed three hours causing me to miss my connection in Atlanta and not getting to Savannah until after midnight. Way past my bedtime. This was a hard day of flying, but I will go on another flight. If you want to know the fun details go to RoadDog's Blog.
--RoadFun
