Still More New Names for Chicago Snowplows

Sister Jean's Machine

Skilling It

Snower Wacker Drive

Snowprah Windfrey

Super Bowl Shovel

Taylor Drift

Thawsome Sauce

The Magnificent Pile

The Salt Shedder

The Unslushabls

These were just too good.  --RoadPlow

Naming Chicago's New Snowplows-- Part 4: Salternate Reality

Just idea after idea. All good and most really having a Chicago angle.

Nat King Cold

Oh Snow You Didn't

Pablo Picassnow

Plowdineira

Plowed Gate

Salternate Reality

Scoop Dogg

Saltsa N Chips

And, It Was 69 Degrees On My Deck Just a Few Minutes Ago.  Oh, Well.  Just Something I'll Have to Learn to Live With.  --RoadNoSnow

Naming Chicago's New Snowplows-- Part 3: Ferris Buehler's Scrape Off

Ferris Buehler's Scrape Off

Jesse Whiteout

Kevin McPlowster

Little Dibbie

Looper Scooper

Lost Shaker of Salt

Maxwell Street Plowish Sausage

Micicle Jordan

Mies van der Snow

Minnie MiNosnow

Here's to Jimmy B.  Miss You.  --RoadDog

Naming Chicago's New Snowplows-- Part 2: Deep Dish Plowza

Buddy Guy-cicle

Casimir Plowaski

Celery Salter

Chance the Scraper

Chicago My Home Plow

Chicago Plowhawks

ChiPlowgo

City of Big Shovels

CTRL-SALT-DELETE

Deep Dish Plowza

Earth, Wind and Plower

Ernie Snowbanks

Too Funny.  --RoadDog

Naming the New Snowplows in Chicago-- Part 1 Say What? 'Chillinois'

From the January 26, 2024, Chicago Tribune "Chillinois,' 'Taylor Drift,' 'Skilling It.'  by Kate Armanini.

These are a few of the creative offerings folks around here have offered in Chicago's second annual "You Name A Snowplow" contest. For some reason, it has been known to snow around here and we need these things to clear the white stuff off.  Why not have some fun while doing it?

Of course, Swifties will get the "Taylor Drift."  And, longtime weatherman, and town favorite Tom Skilling is retiring from WGN soon.  So, he's "Skilling It."

Here are some other good ones:

Above the Thaw

Arctic Institute of Chicago

Bad, Bad Leroy Plow

Better Call Salt

Bill Flurry

Buckingham Plowtain

Some More in the Next Post.  Great Sense of Humor Those Chicago Folks.  --RoadDog

Chicago's WXRT

WXRT, 93.1 FM is one of the main radio stations I listen to in Chicago.

Right now WXRT is tied for sixth in Chicago according to the most recent Nielsen ratings.  The station is owned by the Philadelphia-based radio chain Audacy.

Recently deceased Lin Brehmer, who I have been writing about the last several posts, has been an integral part  of the station throughout its history.  It began as a pioneering Chicago rock station in the early 1970s, launching under local ownership with an underground melange of  free-form album cuts, but only at night, after its ethnic-based programming like Korean gospel and Spanish talk radio had concluded their day.

The rock format station went full time in 1976.

They became a part of CBS Radio in the late 1990s.  In 2017, Entercom acquired WXRT and half a dozen other Chicago radio stations through a megamerger with CBS.

This company rebranded as Audacy in March 2021, is the second-largest radio chain in the U.S. behind iHeart-Media, and operates more than 235 stations nationwide.

Other Chicago Audacy stations include all-sports WSCR-Am 670 and news station WBBM-AM 780.

--RoadDog

How I Make These WLS Top 30s

Once a month I list all of the songs on the WLS Survey.  The rest of the month I just list the Top Ten songs and Debuts.

But, once a month I do the Top 30 songs in Chicago and go through an involved process to do the five posts for that week.  The first four are in groups of five and the last one is the Top Ten.

The first thing I do is go to the wlsyear - Oldiesloon site which has all the WLS surveys on it.  I go to the week's survey that I am going to do and then copy all the songs down on a sheet of paper.  I then go to You Tube and start playing them.  I listen to every single song on the list and make comments about the song and also read other people's comments to gather information about the song.

I also look to see if the song was climbing the charts or going down the charts.

Next, I go to my "Top Pop Singles 1955-1993" by Joel Whitburn.  This is where I find out how high the song went on the Billboard Hot 100 National chart.

Then, it's typing away with my two little fingers to make the post.  I do not write much about the Top ten songs since I have already written about it in the previous months.

It is a real trip back, especially listening to the songs.  I know there are some who enjoy trying to figure out the artist for the song I have in the title and then others enjoy trying to figure out what song has the words at the bottom of the post.  Name That Tune.

That's How I Do It.  --RoadMuch

WLS Top 30 Songs for Week of December 13, 1971-- Part 5: 'Old Fashioned Love Song'

These were the Top ten songs in Chicago fifty years ago this week.  That's half of a century for those of you counting.

*  Means the song was climbing the chart.  The number after the artist is how high the song got on the Billboard Hot 100 National Chart.

I do not make comments by every song as I have done that on previous posts.

10.  FAMILY AFFAIR--  Sly & the Family Stone    #1  

9.  *STONES / CRUNCH GRANOLA SUITE--  Neil Diamond       #14     Always thought "Crunchy Granola Crunch was a strange name for a song,  Sounds like a cereal.

8.  *SUNSHINE--  Jonathan Edwards      #4     One of the teachers we used to know used to date him.

7.  *RESPECT YOURSELF--  Staple Singers   #12

6.  *CHERISH--  David Cassidy     #9     Not just Keith Partridge you know.

5.  *ALL I EVER NEED IS YOU--  Sonny & Cher   #7

4.  GOT TO BE THERE--  Michael Jackson    #4

3.  *OLD FASHIONED LOVE SONG--  Three Dog Night   #4

2.  BRAND NEW KEY--  Melanie   #1    Her only #1.

1.  *HAVE YOU SEEN HER--   Chi-Lites    #3       I don't know of any other song that takes me back fifty years more than this one.

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "Well How Much Does It Cost? I'll Buy It.  The Time Is All We Lost, I'll Try It."  Answer below.  --RoadDog

"Sunshine"

Songs from Summer 1971-- Part 12: 'Walk Away'

These were the songs on the radio and in your record collection on September 5, 1971.  That's FIFTY years ago for those of you counting.  Some folks would even call it a half century ago.

GIMME SHELTER--  Grand Funk Railroad

MANDOLIN WIND--  Rod Stewart

NEVER ENDING SONG OF LOVE--  Delaney & Bonnie & Friends

SMILING FACES SOMETIMES--  Undisputed Truth

WALK AWAY--  James Gang   That would be Joe Walsh and band.

RESURRECTION SHUFFLE--  Ashton, Gardner & Dyke

AIN'T NO SUNSHINE--  Bill Withers    He knows.

ONLY THE BEGINNING--  Chicago

COLOUR MY WORLD--  Chicago

MARIANNE--  Stephen Stills

SWEET CITY WOMAN--  Stampeders

UNCLE ALBERT / ADMIRAL HALSEY--  Paul McCartney

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "We're So Sorry But We Haven't Heard A Thing All Day."  Answer below.  --RoadDog

"Uncle Albert / Admiral Halsey"

Songs From the Summer of '71-- Part 9, August 1, 1971: 'Sweet Hitchhiker'

Nothin' finer than going back fifty years ago and doing some 'membering as happens with this show by Bob Stroud on Chicago's WDRV, 97.1 FM, the Drive.  And, we still have one more coming on Sunday, September 5.  That will be his final of four installments until next June when on the first Sunday he'll do the Summer of 1972, another college year for me.  And, those college years were a WHOLE lot of fun for me.

GET IT ON--  Chase    Horns, we need more horns.

RESURRECTION SHUFFLE--  Ashton, Gardner & Dyke   Too bad stations don't play this song more.

STATESBORO BLUES--  Allman Brothers

INDIAN RESERVATION--  Raiders   What?  No Paul?

SWEET HITCHHIKER--  CCR   As I've said before, my favorite 60s-70s band.

RAIN DANCE--  Guess Who

IT'S TOO LATE--  Carole King

REASON TO BELIEVE--  Rod Stewart

AQUALUNG--  Jethro Tull    Really?  Heavy Metal Grammy?

RIDERS  ON THE STORM--  Doors   Poor Jim was dead when this song came out on the radio.

DRAGGIN' THE LINE--  Tommy James    The number one song in Chicago this date.

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "Eying Little Girls With Bad Intent.  Snot Running Down His Nose."  Answer below.  --RoadDog

"Aqualung"

Guess I'm WAY Out of the Loop in Music These Days: About That Current and Country Music

Well, we have that giant music festival going on in Chicago this weekend called Lollapalooza and a couple weeks ago we had a big country festival near here in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin called Country Thunder.

I went to Country Thunder once quite a while ago, back in my much younger days.  But, as I get older, huge crowds just isn't something I want to experience.  It did used to bother me, but now its sure does.

Anyway, I go a schedule for Country Thunder (and I still am a big country music fan and often listen to WBRF, 98.1 FM out of Galax, Virginia over the internet.  They play what they call Classic Country.  The older stuff.)

Out of four headliners July 15-18, I only recognized two:  Eric Church and Blake Shelton.  Out of the other 18 performers, I only recognize three:  Clay Walker, Tanya Tucker and Neal McCoy.

Out of 170+ bands, this was real sad, I only recognized seven: Miley Cyrus, Black Pumas, Limp Bizkit, Journey, Mt. Joy, Post Malone and Foo Fighters.

Like I said, Guess I'm Out of the Loop Now.  --RoadHopeless?

WLS Top 30 for Week of May 10, 1971-- Part 5: 'Put Your Hand in the Hand'

These were the top ten songs in Chicago fifty years ago.  How time flies.

The number after the artist is how high the song got on the Billboard National Hot 100 chart.  The * means the song was climbing the charts.

10.  *HERE COMES THE SUN--  Richie Havens       #16     Remember him from Woodstock?  The opening act.

9.  ME AND YOU AND A DOG NAMED BOO--  Lobo   #5    They actually had three Top Tens.

8.  IF--  Bread    #4

7.  *SUPER STAR--  Murray Head & the Trinidad Singers     #14      Wow!

6.  *SWEET & INNOCENT--  Donny Osmond    #7

5.  CHICK-A-BOOM--  Daddy Dewdrop      #9     You can't help getting into this song.  Real name is Richard Monda.

4.  *LOVE HER MADLY--  Doors      #11   

3.  PUT YOUR HAND IN THE HAND--  Ocean    #2      Right up there with "Spirit in the Sky."

2.  *NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE--  Jackson Five     #2

1.  JOY TO THE WORLD--  Three Dog Night    #1  

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "I'm A High Night Flyer And A Rainbow Rider."  Answer below.  --RoadDog

"Joy to the World"

Clark Weber, Big Voice on Chicago Radio (WLS and WCFL and Others)

CLARK WEBER, 89

Died March 8, 2020

This was not on the Hope I Die Before I Get Old site.  I didn't know about it until this week.

A pioneer rock and roll disc jockey in the 1960s and for decades later.  Known as "Mother Weber's Oldest Son."

First rose to fame on Chicago's Powerhouse station, WLS, 890 AM.  In 1965, he introduced the Beatles on stage at Comiskey Park.  Born in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin (outside of Milwaukee).  In 2008, wrote "Clark Weber's  Rock and Roll Radio: 1955-1975."

In 1968, jumped to rival WCFLAM and in 1971 to WMAQ AM.

At age 43, feeling he might be too old to keep spinning 45s, he segued to Talk Radio.

One of my favorites from back then.  Clark Weber ad the other Ls and CFL jocks back then made growing up in the Chicago area a lot more fun.  Our music.

WLS Top 30 for Week of November 9, 1970-- Part 1: 'Stoned Love'

Fifty year ago on Chicago's WLS 890 AM.   * Means it was climbing the charts.    The number after the artist is how high it got on the Billboard Hot 100 National Charts.

HBD   *STONED LOVE--  Supremes     #7     No Diana this time.

30.  *YOU DON'T HAVE TO SAY YOU LOVE ME--  Elvis Presley      #11    Elvis doing that Vegas thing.  From the movie "Elvis:  That Is the Way That It Is."

29.  *10- 15 (20-25 YEARS OF LOVE)--  Presidents     #11       What they call Old School Soul.   Herb Kent, where are you?  

28.  *AFTER MIDNIGHT--  Eric Clapton     #18     Doing a J.J. Cale song.

27.  CRACCKLIN' ROSIE--  Neil Diamond      #1    Watch the Kathleen Mosley video of a very young Neil.  Was that a hair flip on the left side of his head?  Were we that young 50n years ago?

26.  CANDIDA--  Dawn    #3    A white guy with two black gals.  Their first hit.

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "The Stars Won't Come Out If They Know That You're About."    Answer below.   --RoadDog

"Candida"

Doing That Ol' Coronavirus Thing: Sturgis-- Schools-- MAC-- Pam's-- Indy 500

Seems to be the thing these days:

1.  STURGIS--  Well, we'll be seeing what impact having a huge number of people congregating in one area has on the spread of the cv.  250,000 folks and probably not much in the way of masks or social distancing.

2.  SCHOOLS--  Chicago has put off opening schools for awhile.  All schools should do that and don't open until a vaccine is found or the cv has run its course.

3.  MAC--  The Mid American Conference canceled all fall sports, including football, until spring.  Good move.  All college football teams should follow suit.  (Just a moment ago I saw that the Big 10,11,12,13,14 had also put off fall til spring.)

4.  PAM'S--  Saturday we went to Pam's house in Johnsburg and got together with friends who had move to New Mexico.  We social distanced.

5.  INDY 500--  The Indy 500 did the right thing and won't allow people to see the race August 23.  The friends from New Mexico and I have seen the last eight Indys.

No Indy for Us This Year.  --RoadLess

Back to the Summer of 1970-- Part 10: "In the Summertime"

Songs on the radio and in your record collection on August 2, 1970.  From Bob Stroud's Rock and Roll Roots show on Chicago's WDRV, 97.1 FM. the Drive.  He will have one last Summer of 1970 show on Sunday,  September 6.  It streams so giver it a listen 9 to noon, CDST.

CLOSER TO HOME/I'M YOUR CAPTAIN--  Grand Funk Railroad
FUNK #49--  James Gang
COTTAGE CHEESE--  Crow

MAMA TOLD ME NOT TO COME--  Three Dog Night
IN THE SUMMERTIME--  Mungo Jerry  Still my all-time favorite summer song.
WESTBOUND #9--  Flaming Ember

UNCLE JON'S BAND--  Grateful Dead
MISSISSIPPI--  John Phillips
MISSISSIPPI QUEEN--  Mountain

SUMMERTIME BLUES--  Who
SHOULDN'T HAVE TAKEN MORE THAN YOU GAVE--  Dave Mason
MAKE IT WITH YOU--  Bread  The #1 song in Chicago.

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "Everybody Listen To Me, And Return Me My Ship."  Answer below.  --RoadDog


"I'm Your Captain/Closer To Home"

WLS Top Ten for Week of August 3, 1970: "O-o-h Child"

Fifty years ago these were the Top Ten sings in Chicago according to WLS, 890 AM.

1.  MAKE IT WITH YOU--  Bread
2.  CLOSE TO YOU--  Carpenters
3.  TIGHTER & TIGHTER--  Alive & Kicking

4.  WHY CAN'T I TOUCH YOU--  Ronnie Dyson
5.  SPILL THE WINE--  Eric Burdon
6.  LAY A LITTLE LOVING ON ME--  Robin McNamara
7.  SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED, I'M YOURS--  Stevie Wonder

8.  BAND OF GOLD--  Freda Payne
9.  O-O-H CHILD--  Five Stairsteps
10.  I JUST CAN'T HELP BELIEVING--  B.J. Thomas

************************

DEBUTS (NOW REFERRED TO AS HIT PARADE BOUND (HPB).

22.  WAR--  Edwin Starr
29.  25 OR 6 TO 4--  Chicago

30.  PATCHES--  Clarence Carter
HPB  LOOKING OUT MY BACK DOOR--  Creedence Clearwater Revival

HPB  EVERYBODY'S GOT THE NIGHT TO LOVE--  Supremes

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "Hey Have You Ever Tried Really Reaching Out For The Other Side."  Answer below.  --RoadDog


"Make It With You"

Some Mighty Good TV Tonight

I'll be recording NBC on the old VHS VCR tonight.  Love those three Chicago dramas, you know, especially "Chicago Fire."

I'll be watching ABC as one of my favorite sitcoms has its series finale tonight, "Modern Family."  I didn't watch it for the first four years because of some of the people on it.  But, when I did finally see it, they were fantastic.

And, then, at 9, its "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" which will be returning to primetime.  When it was first out, that was a definite watch for me.  I love trivia games like "Jeopardy" and also used to play a lot of NTN/Buzztime at bars back in the day.

Pass the Popcorn.  --RoadDog

Still Got Our CB&C, Even With Everything, St. Patrick's Day-- Part 1: Who Says You Need a Parade?

This will have to go down as the strangest St. Patrick's Day ever.  As a joke going around right now has it, this was the time a Chinese virus with a Mexican name wiped out an Green Celebration.  Even so, we got in as much as you can.

Now, we are spending the next bunch of days at home.  However:

THURSDAY--  Kick off with 50 cent wings and $1 pints at Bootleggers in Antioch.

FRIDAY, MARCH 13--  Had planned on going to the Legion for the Grant Township fish fry but that was cancelled.  Ended up at Sunnyside Tavern.

SATURDAY, MARCH 14--  We already weren't planning on going to the Chicago or McHenry St. Patrick's Day parades (Chicago because we don't go to Chicago and McHenry because it is way too crowded).  We had planned to go to the Lake Villa parade, but that got cancelled as well.

We decided to go to Stucky's in Johnsburg for their corned beef & cabbage  (CB&C), but they were way too crowded.  So, we went over to Sunnyside where a whole lot of friends were having their alternate party.  Who says you have to have a parade to get into the drinking o' the green?

--RoadDog

Happy Belated Birthday George

Either yesterday or Monday was George Harrison's birthday.  He was born right at midnight either February 24 or February 25, 1943, so this is the question.  It doesn't really matter though.  Sadly, he died November 29, 2001.   He would have been 76.

George was always my favorite of the Beatles from the get-go and could he ever play that lead guitar.  It was too bad that the big two Beatles wouldn't give him much of a chance to do his stuff.

But, anyway, in honor of George's birthday, both Bob Stroud on his Rock and Roll Roots show on Chicago's WDRV and Terri Hemmert on her Breakfast with the Beatles show on Chicago's WXRT had their shows dedicated to George on this past Sunday.

**************************************

Here are some of the songs they played:

ROCK AND ROLL ROOTS  Beatles unless *.  Then that is George Harrison


ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN
WHAT IS LIFE*

I'M HAPPY JUST TO DANCE WITH YOU
LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD*

YOU LIKE ME TOO MUCH
MY SWEET LORD*

I NEED YOU
GIVE ME LOVE*

TAX MAN
THIS SONG*

I WANT TO TELL YOU
IF NOT FOR YOU*

WHILE MY GUITAR GENTLY WEEPS
BLOW AWAY*

ALL THINGS MUST PASS*

Way To Go, George.  --RoadGeorge