Songs from the Summer 1974-- Part 2: 'Sundown'

PRETZEL LOGIC--  Steely Dan

DON'T YOU WORRY ABOUT A THING--  Stevie Wonder

SAME OLD SONG AND DANCE--  Aerosmith

BENNY AND THE JETS--  Elton John

A DREAM GOES ON FOREVER--  Todd Rundgren

REBEL REBEL--  David Bowie

I'LL HAVE TO SAY I LOVE YOU IN A SONG--  Jim Croce

WORKING MAN--  Rush

THE AIR THAT I BREATHE--  Hollies

MIGHT JUST TAKE YOUR LIFE--  Deep Purple

MOCKINGBIRD--  Carly Simon & James Taylor

SUNDOWN--  Gordon Lightfoot

CALL ME THE BREEZE--  Lynyrd Skynyrd

WALL STREET SHUFFLE--  10CC

THE SHOW MUST GO ON--  Three Dog Night

COME MONDAY--  Jimmy Buffett

CAN'T GET ENOUGH--  Bad Company

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "Heading Out To San Francisco For The Labor Day  Weekend Show."  Answer below.  --RoadDog

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"

One Great Time Last Weekend: Barhopping, Wings, $1 Drafts, Beach Bumz Band, Fish Fry and the Legion

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7

Barhopping at Donovan's Reef in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin and Sunnyside in Johnsburg, Illinois.  Two places where everybody knows your name.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 8

Met Kevin and Kelly, Glenn and Barb at Bootleggers on Grasslake Road in Antioch and enjoyed the 50 cent wings and $1 draft pints.  Then went to the It's Thursday in Antioch, the weekly party by the bandshell behind Main Street.  Every Thursday from mid-June to mid-August, they have a band playing there from 7:30 to 9 p.m..

Tonight the band was Johnny Russell & the Beach Bumz.  If you like Jimmy Buffett, reggae or country beach music, this music is for you.  We also met several good friends there.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 9

Enjoyed WDRV's Ten at Ten's American Road Trip songs.  Road tripping on old highways is one of our favorite things to do, especially on Route 66 or the Lincoln Highway.

We met Kelly and Kevin and Barb and Glenn at 'Cuda's on Grasslake Road for their beer-battered fish fry, auce for $9,99 and $2 craft beer pints.  Then went to the Fox Lake American Legion with them for the 50-50.

Why Go Anywhere Else?  --RoadDog

Music Deaths: Reggie Young, Session Player with Memphis Boys

REGGIE YOUNG, 73

Died January 17, 2019

Lead guitarist in the American Sound Studio house band, the Memphis Boys.  One of the best session players.

He played with Elvis Presley, Dusty Springfield, Dionne Warwick, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, the Box Tops and Johnny Cash among many others.  He was an original member of Bill Black's Combo who opened for the Beatles in 1964.

The Memphis Boys played on 120 hit pop, country, rock and soul songs 1967 to 1971.

Some of them "Suspicious Minds", "Kentucky Rain", "Don't Cry Daddy" and "In the Ghetto."  In the early 1970s he backed Jimmy Buffett on three albums as a member of the Coral Reefers.

For more songs he appeared on, go to Wikipedia.  It is an impressive list.

Down in the Boondocks--  Billie Joe Royal
Sweet Caroline--  Neil Diamond
Drift Away--  Dobie Gray

Music Deaths: Reggie Young, Session Musician On 120 Hits

REGGIE YOUNG, 82

Died January 17, 2019

Lead guitarist with American Sound Studio's house band The Memphis Boys.  A leading session musician.

Touring/session guitarist, played on Elvis Presley's "Suspicious Minds."

Played with Elvis Presley, Dusty Springfield, Dionne Warwick, Willie, Waylon, Box Tops and Johnny Cash among others.  Originally a member of Bill Black's Combo.  Opened for the Beatles in 1964.

The Memphis Boys played on 120 pop, country, rock and soul songs between 1967 and 1971.

Some of these:  "Kentucky Rain," "Don't Cry daddy" and "In the Ghetto."  In the early 1970s backed Jimmy Buffett on three albums.

Some of My All-time favorite music.

I'd Celebrate That!!! Jan. 28 to 31: Backwards Day Thursday

**  I'd celebrate that.

JANUARY 28--  Daisy Day**  And, I've got a lot of 'em.  Rattlesnake Roundup Day   Reckon I'll take a pass on this one.   National Blueberry Pancake Day**     And the more the better.   Child Labor Day**  Childhood is too short.

JANUARY 29--  Curmudgeons Day**  I don;t care what they saw.  I ain't one!!!   National Carnation Day*8    National Corn Chip Day*8   Few things finer.   National Puzzle Day**  Until several months ago, I didn't do crossword puzzles.  I sure do them now.  Never figured I would.

JANUARY 30--  National Croissant Day**  Especially those Burger King breakfast sandwiches.   National Inane  Answering Message Day**   "I ain't home, I ain't home.  You got to leave a message 'cause I ain't home"  Sung to Jimmy Buffett's "This Hotel Room" song.   Yodel To Your Neighbors Day**  A great way to get them to leave you alone.

JANUARY 31--   Backwards Day**   Do as many things elbissop sdrawkcab.     Eat Brussels Sprouts Day.  Oh well.   National Hot Chocolate Day**   Just don't burn your tongue.  Few things worse than a hot chocolate burn.

--GoDdaoR


IN 50 YEARS OF LIVING YOU LEARN:  If God created the universe and wanted to get a message to it, he would not hire a person on cable TV with a bad hairstyle to do it for him/her.

Going Back to the Summer 1978-- Part 5: "Excitable Boy"

From Bob Stroud's Rock and Roll Roots show in Chicago's WDRV, 97.1 FM, the Drive July 8, 2018.  This is part two of our trip back 40 years to hear what was playing on our radios and in our record collections.  I sure remember this stuff.

He will also have parts 3 and 4 the second Sundays of August and September.

SWEET TALKIN' WOMAN--  Electric Light Orchestra
I NEED TO KNOW--  Tom Petty
CHEESEBURGER IN PARADISE--  Jimmy Buffett  I once had a cheeseburger at a Margaritaville.  It was okay, but not all that great...and, it was quite expensive.  Oh well.

EXCITABLE BOY--  Warren Zevon
ON BROADWAY--  George Benson
IMAGINARY LOVER--  Atlanta Rhythm Section

RUNNIN' WITH THE DEVIL--  Van Halen
GOOD TIMES ROLL--  Cars
LOVE IS LIKE OXYGEN--  Sweet

Name That Tune (from the above songs):  "I Like Mine With Lettuce and Tomato."  Answer Below.  --RoadDog


"Cheeseburger in Paradise"

A Long 4th of July Celebration-- Part 1: A Boat, A Band and Bars

JUNE 27, WEDNESDAY

I always enjoy kicking back on the FP  (Front Porch) in the mornings, eating breakfast, having coffee and reading the Chicago Tribune.

Drove to Hebron, Illinois, and picked up the boat.  The Chain is still no wake, but after the 4th of July we'll get in the water.

Drove to Lindenhurst, Illinois and saw one of our favorite bands, Pirates Over 40, doing Jimmy Buffett songs.

Afterwards, we went to two places on the Chain Crawl for passport stamps:  Oasis and Steitz's.  We didn't know that the Oasis is now owned by the family who own Captain's Quarters, Electric Harbor and the Kross Inn.  Steitz's dates back to 1938.

--RoadDog

Seeing Folks on TV: Buffett, Flounder, Spock and Kirk

The past several days, I have seen some interesting people on TV.

Last night, there was an old hippie helicopter pilot on "Hawaii-Five-0."  At first it didn't register, but as he talked I thought it was familiar and then took a closer look and it had to be none other than Jimmy Buffett.  We looked the show up on IMDB and TV Guide but there was no mention of him.  We finally came across an article and...it was him.

Earlier we had watched "CHiPs" and it was about an animal house fraternity at a California college which a snooty fraternity was trying to get in trouble.  The president-for-life was none other than "Animal House's" Flounder.  And, they were having a toga party.  It was like watching my favorite-ever movie all over again.

With the recent death of Leonard Nimoy, we found out that Nimoy and William Shatner of "Star Trek" fame first appeared together on an episode of "Man from U.N.C.L.E.."  It was on MeTV Thursday.  This was filmed several years before they became Mr. Spock and Captain Kirk.  And Commandant Klink from "Hogan's Heroes" was on the episode as well.

Book 'Rm Parrotheads.  --RoadDog

Inside Scoop On Brother Jimmy (Buffett)

From the Dec. 27, 2012, Y! Music  "Jimmy Buffett Worth $400 Million."

I wonder how much of that he has gotten from me as I sit here with just about every album and CD he's ever put out.

He was born Christmas Day, 65 years ago "The Christmas War Baby Turned Island Boy On the Day W.C. Fields Died.

As far as earnings, he is behind Paul McCartney and Bono, but ahead of Elton John and Mick jagger.He has had no songs in Billboard's Top Pop 40 since 1979 (and didn't have a whole lot before that) although he did have a #1 Country Song with "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" nine years ago.

Owns the Margaritaville chain of restaurants, retail stores, hotels and nigh clubs.  His Margaritaville in the Flamingo in Las Vegas is "the top grossing restaurant in the nation" making some $43 million  a year.

Of course, his concerts are legend with his rabid partying Parrot Heads, but I wouldn't know anything about that.

Wastin' Away Again...Somewhere.  --RoadDog

JSIS: Buffett-- No Turkey Legs-- No More "Hell"-- No More Vocational Ed

JSIS--  Just Some Interesting Stuff


1.  BUFFETT--  Parrotheads here in te Midwest are pretty happy Jimmy Buffett is returning to the Tinley Park, Ill., amphitheater after being at Toyota Park since 2008.  They're getting ready for tailgating and partying.  He performed there from 1995 to 2007 and the village even has a Caribbean Beach Block Party celebration every year.

Liz and I are BIG JB fans, but haven't been to one of his concerts since the late 80s when we used to see him at Milwaukee's Summerfest.  I do have probably every one of his albums on either vinyl or CD.


2.  NO MORE TURKEY LEGS--  I see that there will be none of those huge bbq turkey legs at this year's Taste of Chicago.  Tim McGivern, the Man Behind the Drumstick, since the earliest Tastes in 1981 is sitting this one out for health issues.  Oh well, we don't go to the Taste anyway.  But, I do love one of those big ol' legs.


3.  NO MORE "HELL"--   I see that Matt Groening is ending his "Life in Hell" comic strip after the 1,669th one.  It started in the late 70s and was popular among alternative news-weeklies.  But, declining syndication money has brought it to this.  I rarely had the opportunity to read it so wasn't much of a fan.  However, I am a big fan of another of Groening's works, "The Simpsons."  I wasn't until about six years ago, however.  I was a teacher and then there was Bart.


4.  NO MORE VOCATIONAL ED--  Time Magazine ran an article on the loss of vocational ed classes at public schools.  I always thought that was a big problem losing these programs because not every kid should be going to college and there is big bucks to be earned in vocational fields such as electricians, plumbers and mechanics.

Just Some Stuff.  --RoadDog

Attention Parrot Heads Around the Quad Cities

Well, it won't be JB "hisself," but, it's the next best thing, a tribute band and four members of the Coral Reefers, including long-time guy Michael Utley (since 1972).

The tribute band has a great name, Boat Drunks (now that's appropriate. The event is called Havana Day Dreaming, and is being put on to raise money for a good cause.

From what I understand, Patti Blagojevich will not have anything to do with it, so ALL the money will be going to charity.

It will be held in Davenport, Iowa.

Neat name for a band seen on the QC Times, Huge Heffner.

Too Bad We're Hitting the Road. --RoadDog

Enjoying the Summer, Finally

Last week, we went over to the Taste of Antioch on both Thursday and Friday. Lots of great food and entertainment all four days.

Thursday, we saw an old favorite, Mr. Myers, who we've been following since their earliest days at back in the 70s playing at Andy's in DeKalb. Their music can best be described as Caribbean/Jimmy Buffett music, complete with bongos, steel drums, and a flute. We met Steve, who owned Captain's Quarters for 20 years before selling it last winter. He said 20 years was enough. Also met Madeline, who used to own Whitetail. She works for a cleaning service now and husband Tony is in security at the Pottowatamie Indian Casino in Milwaukee.

Friday, it was a two piece acoustic band called Bar Stool Soldiers and then a horn band called World Class Noise which played their own material as well as Earth, Wind and Fire type stuff.

Thumb and All. --RoadDog

Jimmy Buffett's Birthday Today

Egads, Jimmy Buffett had his 61st birthday today. Can we all be getting that old?

He is one of Liz and my all-time favorite performers. I have all of his studio albums and many of his live efforts. Many of them are actual LPs. We've also seen his show at least four times. Absolute bedlam and big-time party.

We named our home Key North after Key West and the downstairs bar is named Margaritaville for some reason.

Jimmy Buffett, the Patron Saint of Boaters. --RoadDog

Lots Going On Here in the Chain of Lakes Area

Yesterday, Liz and I went to Taste of Antioch and enjoyed bbq sandwiches (I highly recommend Herm's BBQ by the train station. It isn't really Carolina BBQ, but pulled pork in a sweet sauce-mighty good eating.). Then we listened to a favorite band from DeKalb called Mr. Myers, which does what is called Caribbean Rock, complete with steel drums, lots of other percussion instruments. Obviously, they play a lot of Jimmy Buffett and Bob Marley. Mighty fun group. We have followed them since when they began playing at Andy's in Dekalb back in the 1980s.

Today, after yardwork, I did some boating. Tomorrow, the choice is between McHenry's Fiesta Days, Fox Lake's Fireman's Days, or Taste of Antioch. McHenry will have bands playing out in the streets as well as at the gazebo in Veteran's Park. There will also be an Art in the Park and old wooden boat show on the river. Sunday, there will be the annual chicken bbq at the park and the famous, hour-long parade.

Antioch has bands, sidewalk sales, Little Nashville (a country band) and Od Tapo Imi, which bills itself as Jimmy Buffet meets the Blue Man Group. Then, Sunday, it's American English, one of the country's premier Beatles tribute bands. From a distance, you'd swear you were seeing the early Beatles, Sgt. Pepper's Beatles, and later Beatles.

Fireman's Days have the fire hose competition, Las Vegas-style gambling, and a band.

Decisions, Decisions, Where to Go, What to Do. --RoadDog

"Boat Names, the Boys in the Bar Ordered Boat Names"

With a tip of the hat to Jimmy Buffett, the patron saint of all things nautical and fun, whose "Boat Drinks" song I sorta borrowed. I would have to imagine most boaters are Parrotheads to some degree or another. Most to an advanced degree. The Order of the Sleepless Nights and Margaritaville being compass directions.

Some names I've seen around the Chain of Lakes: Second Time First, Never!!!, In-TOXIC-ated (owned a toxic waste company), $7500 OBO, Lots of X, Stelthn, It's Hereditary (family's been boating a long time), Sweet Dreams, Wet Dreams, Liquid Leisure, Nice Package, JSHVNFN (Just Having Fun), SOL (sun and bad luck), Pink Flamingo, Too Cute, Ridin' Dirty, and No Stress.

You can get a whole lot of boat names here:
http://www.10000boatnames.com/

In 2002, the top ten boat names, in order, were: Liberty, Victory, Aquaholic, Bite Me, Endless Summer, Seahorse, Footloose, Silver Lining, Miss Behaving, and Moondance.

http://www.boatus.com/names/topten.asp

Out on the Chain and Feelin' No Pain. --RoadDog

THIS DAY IN HISTORY- 1979- John Wayne died