Music Deaths: Warner Mack, 60s Country Singer

WARNER MACK, 86

Died 1 March 2022

Country singer.

Born Warner MacPherson in 1938 in Nashville, raised in Vicksburg, Mississippi. From 1957 to 1977 had 23 Country Top 100s.  From 1964 to 1969, had ten Top Tens.

His biggest hit was "The Bridge Washed Out"  (#1 in 1965)

Also

"Sittin' On a Rock (Crying in a Creek"  (#3- 1965)

"Talkin' to the Wall"  (#3- 1966)

Those Who Left Us in 2021-- Part 6: Elder, Dole, Unser and Nesmith

NOVEMBER

**  LEE ELDER, 87

He broke down racial barriers as the first black golfer to play in the Masters and paved the way for Tiger Woods and others to follow.  Died November 28.

DECEMBER

**  BOB DOLE

He overcame disabling World War II wounds to become a Republican Senate leader and a presidential candidate.  I voted for him.  He became a symbol of the dwindling Greatest Generation.  I really liked where he would personally go and meet WW II veterans on the Honor Flights.  Died December 5.

**  AL UNSER, 82

One of only four drivers to win the Indianapolis 6500 a record four times.  Died December 9.  His brother Bobby Unser was a three-time Indy 500 winner and died May 2.

**  MICHAEL NESMITH, 78

Singer, song-writer and best of all for me, a member of one of my favorite groups (and TV shows) The Monkees."  Died  December 10.

Music Deaths: Chad Stuart of Chad & Jeremy

CHAD STUART, 79

Died 20 December 2020

Singer with folk/pop duo Chad & Jeremy.

Born David Stuart Chadwick.

Group consisted of him and Jeremy Clyde and formed in 1962.  Unlike the rock sound of others in the British Invasion, they had a more soft and folk-inflected style.  I loved their appearance on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" as the British band, "The Redcoats."

And, I have always gotten their songs confused with those of Peter & Gordon.

Some of their big songs:

"Yesterday's Gone" (#21-1963)

"A Summer Song"  (#7-1964)

"Willow Weep for Me"  (#15-1964)

"If I Loved You"  (#23-1965)

Music Deaths: Wayne Fontana of the Mindbenders

WAYNE FONTANA, 74

Died 6 August 2020

Singer and front man for 60s group Mindbenders.  

British Invasion at its best.  Took his name after Elvis Presley's drummer D.J. Fontana.

Real name Glyn Geoffrey Ellis.  Fronted rock group from Manchester, England.  Left the group in 1965.  Graham Gouldman joined  in 1968.  Later, he and Fontana lead guitarist and singer Eric Stewart formed Hotlegs and then 10CC.

The Mindbenders had just two Top 40s, but what a two shot.  

"Game of Love"  (#1-1965)

"A Groovy Kind of Love"   (#2-1966)

Goin' Back to the Summer of '79-- Part 12: "Dance the Night Away"

This is the fourth and final installment of Bob Stroud's annual Root Salute to the Summer of 40 years earlier.  This being 1979.  I am not sure what he will do next year since his Rock and Roll Roots show, aired on Chicago's WDRV, 97.1 FM on Sundays from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. features just music from the 1960s and 1970s.  Next year, of course, is 1980.

Anyway, these are the songs on the radio and in your album collection on September 1, 1979:

HEART OF THE NIGHT-- Poco
HOLD ON--  Triumph
GIRL'S GOT RHYTHM--  AC/Dc

LOGICAL SONG--  Supertramp
FINS--  Jimmy Buffett
DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY--  Van Halen

I NEED A LOVER--  John Cougar
ONE WAY OR ANOTHER--  Blondie
DAMNED IF I DO--  Alan Parsons Project

ROCK AND ROLL FANTASY--  Bad Company
HEY HEY, MY MY (INTO THE BLACK)--  Neil Young

CATCH ME NOW I'M FALLING--  Kinks
MY SHARONA--  Knack  #1 song in Chicago and all over the radio.

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "I'm Gonna Getcha Getcha Getcha Getcha."    Answer below.  --RoadDog


"One Way Or Another"

53rd Anniversary of "Rubber Soul" Release: My Memories

Bob Stroud is doing a Root Salute to this album on his Rock an Roll Roots show on Chicago's WDRV 97.1 FM as this album was released 53 years ago tomorrow.  This album and the one before it "Revolver," marked a major change  in Beatles music from their earlier work.

I remember back before Christmas 1965, I was about to buy my first album ever and was in the record store looking at albums and this was one I was looking at.  It ended up being a choice between this album or Herman's Hermits Greatest Hits.  I did a lot of thinking before going with Herman because this one had a whole lot of hits.  (I later bought "Rubber Soul.")

Albums back then cost $2.99 which was a huge amount for me to spend.  That was essentially six weeks of allowance or 150 pop bottles.  (Two cents a bottle going door-to-door.)  I had to get max bang for my buck.

Little did I know that those two albums would lead to a life-long obsession collecting albums, 45s, cassette tapes, reel-to-reel tapes and CDs.

Earlier, Bob Stroud played "Rubber Soul's" "I'm Looking Through You."  A great song that whenever I write it down on paper, I always absolutely HAVE to put little dots for eyes in the "o'" in the word Look.

I'd sure like to do that right now.

Funny How Music Can Bring Back Memories.  --RoadDog

Music of 1968-- Part 2: Jimi, Janis and CSNY

Continued from October 26, 2018.

While Jimi Hendrix was torching guitars and putting the polishing touches on "Electric Ladyland,"  Janis Joplin was shedding Big Brother and the Holding Company and starting a band of her own.

Out in Los Angeles's Laurel Canyon, Joni Mitchell's boyfriend casually walked into an impromptu jam session.  There he found two other like-minded musicians -- an encounter that led to Crosby,Stills, Nash and Young, probably the most famous supergroup ever.

--RoadDog

WLS Best-Selling Records of the 1960s

This appeared on their April 28, 1967 Silver Dollar Survey.

I'M A BELIEVER--  Monkees   (1967)
WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL--  New Vaudeville Band   (1967)
HANKY PANKY--  Tommy James & Shondells   (1966)

CHERISH--  Association   (1966)
DOWNTOWN--  Petula Clark   (1965)
I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND--  Beatles   (1964)
LIMBO ROCK--  Chubby Checker    (1963)

I CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU--  Ray Charles    (1962)
WILL YOU LOVE ME TOMORROW--  Shirelles   (1962)
THEME FROM "A SUMMER PLACE"--  Percy Faith   (1960)

Name That Tune (from above songs):  "Those Happy Hours That We Once Knew."  Answer below.  --RoadDog

SOME INTERESTING & IRONIC PREDICTIONS:  "Rail travel at high speeds is not possible because passengers, unable to breathe would die of asphyxia!"  --Dr. Dion Lardner   1830

"I Can't Stop Loving You"

#1 Songs for the Week of September 11 Through the Years-- Part 2: "Help!"

1960   IT'S NOW OR NEVER--  Elvis Presley

1961   THE MOUNTAIN'S HIGH--  Dick & Dee Dee

1962   SHERRY--  Four Seasons

1963   MY BOYFRIEND'S BACK--  Angels

1964   THE HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN--  Animals

1965   HELP!--  Beatles

1966   CHERISH--  Association

1967--  ODE TO BILLY JOE--  Bobbie Gentry

1968  HARPER VALLEY PTA--  Jeannie C. Riley

1969   SUGAR, SUGAR--  Archies

Name That Tune (from the above):  "When You see Him Comin', Better Cut On the Double."  --RoadDog



"My Boyfriend's Back"

Music Death: "Mustang Sally" Composer Mack Rice-- Part 1

From the June 29, 2016, Goldsboro (NC) News-Argus by AP.

'MUSTANG SALLY' COMPOSER MACK RICE DIES

One of my all-time favorite songs.  A sixties classic by the Wicked Pickett.

MACK RICE, 82.  Died June 27, 2016.

Mack Rice, the composer of the '60s hit "Mustang Sallly" and co-writer of the Staple Singers' "Respect Yourself" has died in Detroit.

"Sir" Mack Rice was best known for writing "Mustang Sally," which he initially recorded but it was Wilson Pickett who really made it popular.  The two of them had been in a group called the Falcons.

His wife, Laura Rice, said, "When he wrote 'Mustang Sally' and he saw that royalty check, he really started writing.  He never thought 'Mustang Sally' would ever be as big as it became.  ...He used to tell me, 'Honey that Mustang has rolled a long time.'"

"You Better Slow That..."

Record Review: The London American Story

When I travel, I always carry along several CDs that I haven't yet listened to.  I switch between local radio stations and the CDs.

This was a double CD that I had bought at Half-Price Records in Palatine, Illinois.

The U.K. label Decca Records had used the London name on its U.S. arm since the 1930s.  They launched the London label in the U.K. in 1949.

This double CD included songs released on both sides of the Atlantic.  Many are instantly recognizable, while others are not.  Most were recorded in the early 1960s.

Some of the recognizable ones " "Beyond the Sea" by Bobby Darrin, "This Magic Moment" by the Drifters, "Let the Little Girl Dance" by Billy Bland, "Alley Oop" by the Hollywood Argyles "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie...." by Brian Hyland and ""Mr. Custer" by Larry Verne.

But what I liked most about these CDs were the huge number of ones I had never heard before.

This was a real nice slice of the early 60s music experience.

"What's the Indian Word for Friend?"  --RoadDog


YOU MIGHT BE A YANKEE IF:  You can't spit out the car window without pulling over to the side of the road and stopping.

Deaths: Paul Revere of Paul Revere & the Raiders

PAUL REVERE DICK, 76, Died October 4, 2014.

Was a restaurant owner in Caldwell, Idaho, when he met Mark Lindsay in the late 1950s.  they started a band originally called the Downbeats, but later changed their name to revolve around Paul Revere Dick's name and dressed in Revolutionary War uniforms and were a big hit in the Pacific Northwest.

They recorded "Louie, Louie" at the same studio and around the same time as the Kingsmen, but the latter got the hit.

Moved to Los Angeles and the hits began.  In 1966: "Just Like Me (#11), ""Kicks" (#4), "Hungry" (6).  In 1967 "Good Thing" (4), "Him or Me What's It Gonna Be" (5) and "Let Me" in 1969.  They finally had a #1 in 1971 with "Indian Reservation" after they had shortened the name to just Raiders.

Mark Lindsay later had a solo career

Rolling Stone Magazine named "Kicks" as one of the all-ti,e greatest hits at #400.

Liz had a crush on Mark Lindsay.  (I think it was the little pony tail.)  To me, this was one really rocking band, right up there with the early Beatles and Dave Clark Five.

Paul Revere's Last Ride (As In Paul Revere & the Raiders)

Sad to hear about the death of Paul Revere Dick, the leader of that great 60s group Paul Revere & the Raiders a couple weeks ago.

On October 12th, last Sunday, I was able to listen to WDRV out in DeKalb, Illinois, and heard Bob Stroud's Rock and Roll Roots.  Stroud featured music by Paul Revere & the Raiders on his show, playing these songs in a fitting tribute to Paul Revere's life:

Steppin' Out
Just Like Me
Kicks
Louie Go Home
Hungry
Good Thing
Him or Me, What's It Gonna Be
Indian Reservation

Gone But Never Forgotten.  --RoadDog

SAY WHAT?  "Push the panic button."  World War II bomber pilots had them, for good reason.

Hanging Around Here Last Weekend-- Part 1

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19TH:  We went to K.C.'s Cabin at 173 and Wilmot Road for their great breakfast omelets (even better at bogo), then drove around some Spring Grove subdivisions.    Went shopping at Wal-Mart, Target, Goodwill (my electronics store), Home Depot and Meijer's.

No high school football for third week in a row as the only home team was Round Lake and they do not do very well (they lost 58-0).  I missed the two previous weeks because of rain, cold or a combination of both.

Met Kevin and Kelly and Russ and family at the Legion.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20TH:

Enjoyed breakfast on front porch and then went to the Fox lake/Grant Township Historical Society meeting in Ingleside where we had a presentation of Grant Township Little League.  Did some yardwork before being chased in by a big bad storm.

Later went to the Oktoberfest party at Route 12 Bar and Grill in Fox Lake and saw the band Shreds of Evidence play nothing but 60s music (including a lot of the Kinks and Yardbirds).  Way too loud at first, but we prevailed.

Watched the first part of the NIU-Arkansas game there as well and the last part at Antonio's.  We don't get ESPNU at home.  Unfortunately, we were blown out 52-14.  That Arkansas is tough...and that offensive line of theirs!!!  Smallest guy at 315.

--RoadDog

Oldies Music News: Jimmy Dean Museum, Paul Revere

1.   Groundbreaking for the new Jimmy Dean museum was held June 14th in Plainview, Texas, at Wayland Baptist College.  Plainview is his hometown and he and his wife once gave the school a $1 million donation.

His biggest hit was "Big Bad John" which went to #1 in 1961.  A few days ago, I mentioned that the song was recorded on August 18, 1961.  Another big hit was "P.T. 109" which peaked at #8 in 1962.  It was about President Kennedy's World War II service.

And then, he got into the sausage and breakfast biz.

2.  On August 8th, Paul Revere, 76, announced that he would no longer perform on the road anymore with his group, now called Paul Revere's Raiders.  His son, Jamie, will rejoin the band.  The family business, you know.

--RoadDog


SIGNS OF OLD AGE:  Neighbors borrow YOUR tools.

Bernadette Carroll-- Part 5: The Ernie Maresca and Lou Christie Connections

Bernadettes's next single, "Party Girl," produced and co-written by Ernie Maresca, who also had a big hit with "Shout! Shout (Knock Yourself Out)" for himself and wrote "Runaround Sue" and the "Wanderer" for Dion, was her big hit, making her one of those one-hit wonders you hear about.

She continued doing work with the Allbut sisters as backup singers.

In the 1960s, she teamed with Denise Ferri and Peggy Santiflia and backed such artists as Connie Francis, Kitty Kallen, Bobby Hebb and Frankie Valli.  She can also be heard singing background on Lou Christi's hits "Lightning Strikes" and "Rhapsody in the Rain."

In 1968, she became lead singer of the Angels for a year and recorded four sides for RCA Records, including "The Boy With the Green Eyes" written by Neil Diamond.

Make sure you go to You Tibe and listen to her "Party Girl" song.  As good as Girl Group gets.

Quite an Interesting Career.  --RoadDog

SIGNS OF OLD AGE: If a young girl looks at you, you check to make sure you remembered to put on your pants.

What's Going On With Mitch Ryder?

From the April 6-12, 2014, American Profile "Ask American Profile."

The native of Hamtramck, Michigan, 69, has been working on a novel he plans to adapt to a musical, tentatively called Hide Your Love Away.  Ryder lives in Detroit and performs about 90 shows a year.

The high-octane rocker and his band, the Detroit Wheels, scored Top Ten hits in the 1960s with "Devil With the Blue Dress On/Good Golly Miss Molly," "Sock It to Me Baby" and "Jenny Take a Ride."  He wrote and autobiography, "Devil & Blue Dresses" in 2011 and released his latest CD, The Promise" in 2012.

Another favorite performer of mine and one of the ultimate garage/frat rockers ever.

If Ya Can't Get Up and Dance to Him, Ya Can't Dance.  --RoadDog

What's Going On With Sam Moore?

From the June 22-28, 2014, American Profile Magazine "Ask American Profile.

Always good to get an update on my favorite 60s acts.

SAM MOORE:  The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member and Grammy winner, now 78, was half of the soul vocal duo Sam & Dave, and he continues performing, even after the loss of his partner, Dave Prater.1960
The native of Fort Valley, Georgia had big hits in the 1960s with such hits as "Soul Man," "Hold On, I'm Comin' " and "When Something Is Wrong With My Baby."  Moore's latest single, "They Killed a King" is a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. at whose rallies and speeches he sometimes performed.

I was huge fan of Sam and Dave and still am.  The there songs mentioned were good, but you're not going to believe how great the rest of their songs were.  I was fortunate to see them perform together in the 1970s at Chicago's Cubby Bear.

Who's a Soul Man?  --RoadDog

WHY TEACHERS TURN GRAY EARLY ( Selected test answers):  Q:  How can you lift an elephant with one hand?  A: You can never lift an elephant that has 1 hand.

Top 35 British Invasion Hits-- Part 3: Saluting Another Invasion 70 Years Ago

And just 20 years before the Beatles led that British Invasion in 1964, there were many American in Britain preparing for an invasion of their own across the English Channel on this thing called D-Day.  That was 70 years ago today.  A big salute to them all.

10.  BAD TO ME--  Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas
9.  LITTLE CHILDREN--Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas
8.  DOWNTOWN--  Petula Clark  (Oops, got that tune in my head now.)
7.  DAYTRIPPER--  Beatles
6.  WE CAN WORK IT OUT--  Beatles

5.  HELP!--  Beatles
4.  I'M INTO SOMETHING GOOD--  Herman's Hermits (What, no "Henry the Eighth?")
3.  SHE'S NOT THERE--  Zombies
2.  WINCHESTER CATHEDRAL--  New Vaudeville Band  (Rats, got this one in my head right now, especially that got with the weird voice.)
1.  I WANT TO HOLD YOUR HAND--  Beatles

I'm not sure how Bob Stroud put this list together.  Most likely, he used the WLS surveys since so many of the songs listed next to each other were two-sided hits.

And Again, Thank You World War II Veterans.  --RoadDog

Top 35 British Invasion Hits-- Part 1

From January 18, 2009, Rock and Roll Roots,  Bob Stroud.

All of these hit #1 in the United States.  Marking the 45th anniversary of the British Invasion, kicked off by you-know-who.

35.  FERRY CROSS THE MERCY--  Gerry & the Pacemakers
34.  PAINT IT BLACK--  Rolling Stones
33.  I'M TELLING YOU--  Freddie & the Dreamers
32.  TWIST AND SHOUT--  Beatles
31.  A WORLD WITHOUT LOVE--  Peter & Gordon

30.  HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN--  Animals
29.  GET OFF MY CLOUD--  Rolling Stones
28.  WILD THING--  Troggs
27..  SHE'S A WOMAN--  Beatles
26.  I FEEL FINE--  Beatles

25.  I DON'T WANT TO SPOIL THE PARTY--  Beatles
24.  EIGHT DAYS A WEEK--  Beatles
23.  LOVE POTION #9--  Searchers

Bweatles?  --RoadDog