Being an account of some things I'm interested in, what I'm doing, and reflections on my past, especially music.
RON BUSHY, 79
Died August 29, 2021
Drummer with rock band Iron Butterfly.
Only member to appear on all six Iron Butterfly albums and, of course, there was that drum solo on "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida." You remember, that 17-minute long opus and that 2-3 minute drum solo.
Bangin' on the Drum All Day.
Fifty years ago in Chicago.
15. BABY, I'M-A WANT YOU-- Bread #3 Soft rock group formed in Los Angeles with David Gates on vocals and keyboards.
14. SHAFT-- Isaac Hayes #1 How much soul can one song have? It just built and built. From the movie of the same name.
13. *SUPERSTAR-- Temptations #18 Full title: "Superstar (Remember How You Got Where You Are').This one should have gone higher in the charts. Wow! What a song!
12. HEY GIRL-- Donny Osmond #9 His first five songs were all Top Ten. Not bad.
11. *NOTHING TO HIDE-- Tommy James #41 I don't remember this song, but a good one.
Name That Tune (from the above songs): "Who Is This Man That Would Risk His Neck For His Brother, Man?" Answer below. --RoadDog
"Shaft"
Fifty years ago in Chicago. * Means the song was rising on the charts. The number after the artists is how high the song got on the Billboard Hot 100 National Charts.
20. *THEME FROM THE SUMMER OF '42-- Peter Nero #21 Theme from the movie "The Summer Knows." That's Peter on the keyboard. Born Bernard Nierow. His one and only appearance in the Top 40 which makes him a ___ ___ ______.
19. *SCORPIO-- Dennis Coffey #6 A song like you didn't hear anywhere else. That great bass played by Bob Babbitt who also played on Stevie Wonder's "Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I'm Yours." That was Dennis on guitar.
18. *AMERICAN PIE-- Don McLean #1 All that music history if you could figure it out.
17. *LET IT BE-- Joan Baez #49 What a pure voice. A new take on the Beatles' song.
16. A NATURAL MAN-- Lou Rawls #17 Not one of his better-known songs, bit a good one. His next Top 40 didn't come until 1976 and went to #2. Born in Chicago.
Name That Tune (from the above songs): "When I Find Myself In Times Of Trouble Mother Mary Comes To Me." Answer below. --RoadDog
"Let It Be"
Past Movie Scratches-- Movies I saw on TV in 2020
85. GOONIES-- 4-25-- Bad guys, adventure, pirate treasure and a bunch of guys and two gals. What more fun can you have?
86. JUMANJI: BACK TO THE JUNGLE-- 4-29-- Watch out for hippos, snakes and white rhinos.
87. IRON MAN 2-- 5-1-- Tony the party guy meets his Russian match. Whip me, man!!
88. IRON MAN 3-- 5-2-- Beware the red-glowing guys. And, they aren't Republicans either.
89. INDIANA JONES: SEARCH FOR THE LOST ARK-- 5-3-- He sure hates snakes and Nazis.
80. GAME NIGHT-- 5-4-- Whose game is it anyway?
--RoadDog
Past Movie Scratches-- Movies I watched on TV in 2020.
79. PETER RABBIT-- 4-17-- Some of the best animation ever!!
80. MIKE AND PAT-- 4-18-- He's falling for her.
81. WE ARE THE MILLERS-- 4-18-- A druggie road trip with a fake family.
82. JURASSIC WORLD-- 4-20-- Never thought I'd be pulling for a T Rex. Go Blue!! And, not Michigan either.
83. LORD OF THE RINGS: RETURN OF THE KING-- 4-21-- Saved by the Dead and the Lil' guys.
84. HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE-- 4-24-- My how out little Hermoine has grown. We finally get to really meet old No-Nose.
--RoadDog
These were the top 30 songs in Chicagoland fifty years ago. Half a century.
25 IMAGINE-- John Lennon #3 What a great world it might be if this song and the one at #26, "Peace Train" both came true.
24. *I'D LIKE TO TEACH THE WORLD TO SING-- New Seekers #7 British-Australian group Anybody feel the need for a Coke? Their biggest hit.
23. *YOU ARE EVERYTHING-- Stylistics #9 I'd forgotten this one, but wow, what a slow dance groove. It would also be a great wedding song.
22. *WHERE DID OUR LOVE GO-- Donnie Elbert #15 And, I didn't think you could do better than the Supremes. A great Beach Beat. By that Holland-Dozier-Holland group of guys.
21. WILD NIGHT-- Van Morrison #28 It would be impossible to listen to this song and not have some part of your body start moving. Infectious.
Name That Tune (from the above songs): " "As You Brush Your Shoes, Stand before The Mirror." Answer below. --RoadDog
"Wild Night"
That's right, fifty years ago. Half a century. Five decades.
* before a song indicates that it was rising on the charts. The number after the artist is how high it got on the Billboard Hot 100 National Charts.
*HEY BIG BROTHER-- Rare Earth #19 Everything you could want from a rock song. Love the organ. That's the drummer doing the singing. Their first five songs all went to #19 or higher.
30. *SUGAR DADDY-- Jackson Five #10 I don't remember this one, but it's a good song. That's Michael and Jermaine trading vocals. Always loved the Jackson Five choreography.
29. *DAY AFTER DAY-- Badfinger #4 Love the start of it. Did George Harrison play the slide guitar on it? Takes me right back to Christmas 1971. Welsh rock quartet. This song produced by George Harrison.
28. *IT'S ONE OF THOSE NIGHTS-- Partridge Family #20 I never heard this one either. Okay girls, ow many of you had crushes on Keith (or was that David?) Their first five songs all went #20 ir higher.
27. *ONE MONKEY DON'T STOP NO SHOW-- Honey Cone #15 Another song that did not get enough air play. Great line: "I love you, but I can do without you."
26. PEACE TRAIN-- Cat Stevens #7 Make sure you go to You Tube and watch the video "Peace Train" featuring Yusuf/Cat Stevens Playing for Change Songs from Around the World. It will blow you away. Seriously.
Name That Tune (from the above songs): "I've Been Happy Lately, Thinking About The Good Things To Come." Answer below. --RoadDog
"Peace Train"
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 4
Watched NIU defeat Kent State for the MAC Championship game, one of the rare times Northern actually dominated an opponent. (And earlier this season Kent State had just barely beaten us.) Sadly, I couldn't get it on the radio as I enjoy listening to Bill Baker call the Huskies as he's been doing it since the 1980s. He IS the "Voice" of the Huskies.
Went to the Fox Lake American Legion for their monthly first Saturday afternoon band and saw an excellent two-piece group but can't remember their name.
Then to Stucky's in Johnsburg for dinner, $1 draft pints and karaoke. A whole bunch of Sunnysiders came in.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 5
Watched and listened to the Bears lose another game at home (now 4-8). I always enjoy listening to the Bear announcers on the radio as they are real fans.
Then to the McHenry American Legion for the $2.50 Adequate Bloody Marys and $1 off Happy Hour prices.
--RoadDog
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2
Met Kevin and Kelly at Donovan's Reef in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, but didn't play trivia.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3
Met the former Magee teachers at Bristol 45 Diner in Bristol, Wisconsin. Always great reliving those old memories and having that great Mediterranean omelet. Lots of 50s stuff all over the walls.
For dinner, met Kevin and Kelly at the Wilmot Riverside in Wilmot, Wisconsin, but didn't have the famed fish fry as we have found they also have a real good shrimp fry. Then, we went to the Fox Lake, Illinois, American Legion for Jeopardy and 50-50.
--RoadDog
LEE "SCRATCH" PERRY, 85
Died 29 August 2021
Producer / vocalist / songwriter / reggae.
Noted for innovative studio techniques and production style.
Worked with Bob Marley & the Wailers, Beastie Boys and the Clash.
"People Funny Boy"
"Run for Cover"
"You Funny Boy"
JOHN DRAKE, 74
Died 29 August 2021
Lead singer with the rock band Amboy Dukes 1967-1968.
Bandmate of Ted Nugent and with the band when they had their #16 hit "Journey to the Center of the Mind" in 1967.
I didn't know the band formed in Chicago but was later based out of Detroit.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 26
Web went to a new place that just opened Tuesday in Johnsburg called Granny's Diner. The owner had come in to Sunnyside and we had a nice talk a couple weeks ago.
This is where the old Epic Deli was until it moved to a bigger place on Route 31 in McHenry. We didn't expect a lot of people there, since it was new, but they had a crowd even when we got there just before they closed at 2 pm.
We both ordered lunch meals and there were huge and very good. I think this place will do well.
During the course of the day, I watched a lot of the Illinois High School playoffs in Margaritaville (in our basement). Wilmington, on Route 66, won in Class 2A, Byron (out by DeKalb, won in 3A and, no big surprise, but Joliet Catholic walked all over Springfield's Sacred Heart-Griffin to win a 4A. Joliet Catholic beat our local high school, Richmond-Burton, last week.
Enjoyed cocktail at the bar and the Ultimate Juke Box.
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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 27
I had planned on going to Crystal Lake for the McHenry County Civil War Round Table discussion group and then to Algonquin for Half Price Books and White Castle, but kind of felt like I had a cold coming on, so decided to stay in.
Today was the Class 5A to Class 6A high school playoffs. In Class 6A, East St. Louis High School was heavily favored to beat Cary-Grove, in nearby Cary, Illinois, but this has to go down as one of the biggest David vs. Goliath games in the history of high school football as Cary Grove won 37-36n in frigid DeKalb at Huskie Stadium where the championship games were played.
Watched two great movies: "Christmas Vacation" and "Joker."
--RoadBall
From the December 6, 2021, WPRI Providence by Ted Nesi.
Tens of thousands of southern New Englanders drive across the Braga Bridge each day, but do not know where the bridge got its name.
It was named after Navy Yeoman 2nd Class Charles M. Braga, Jr., a 22-year-old Fall River, Massachusetts, native who died in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Braga, called "Charlie" by his friends, died when a 500-pound bomb hit his ship, the USS Pennsylvania while he was carrying messages.
The Braga Bridge was completed in 1966 after construction began in 1959, and was named after Charles M. Braga of Fall River, Massachusetts, who was killed at Pearl Harbor.
It is just over a mile long and carried I-195 over the Taunton River between Fall River and Somerset.
Fifty years ago on Chicago's WLS, 890 AM, these were the Top Ten songs and debuts.
1. FAMILY AFFAIR-- Sly & the Family Stone
2. BRAND NEW KEY-- Melanie
3. HAVE YOU SEEN HER-- Chi-Lites
4. GOT TO BE THERE-- Michael Jackson
5. OLD FASHIONED LOVE SONG-- Three Dog Night
6. ALL I EVER NEED IS YOU-- Sonny and Cher
7. CHERISH-- David Cassidy
8. SHAFT-- Isaac Hayes
9. RESPECT YOURSELF-- Staple Singers
10. BABY, I'M-A WANTYOU-- Bread
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DEBUTS
19. HEY GIRL-- Donny Osmond
22. AMERICAN PIE-- Don McLean
27. WHERE DID OUR LOVE GO-- Donnie Elbert
28. YOU ARE EVERYTHING-- Stylistics
30. I'D LIKE TO TEACH THE WORLD TO SING-- New Seekers
ONE MONKEY DON'T STOP NO SHOW-- Honey Cone
Name That Tune (from the above songs): "Playin' On The Radio And Wrapped Around The Music." Answer below. --RoadDog
"Old Fashioned Love Song"
** TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23
We went to Sunnyside to watch the last NIU regular season football game since we don't get ESPNU. Northern was blown out.
** WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24
Went to Donovan's Reef in Twin Lakes to have the pre-T party.
** THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25 THANKSGIVING
We had thoughts of eating at the Grand Buffet Chinese place in McHenry, but they were closed so ended up having the McTurkey at McDonald's. (Well, actually the McDouble Bundle of fries and sandwich for $3.)
Watched the Bears "beat up" on the winless Detroit Lions 16-14 to run up the record for the season to 4-7. Well,, at least it was a win and snapped a 5 game losing streak.
Came home and enjoyed three of the "Vacation" movies, some of my favorites. The only one I didn't see was Christmas Vacation."
--RoadDog
THINGS YOU'D LIKE TO SAY: I'll try to be nicer if you try to be smarter.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20
I went to the Fox Lake/Grant Township Historical Society's meeting at the Grant Hall Museum in Ingleside, Illinois, after my mandatory stop at Thornton's for a large cappucinno coffee. The museum has acquired the 24 historical signs that were up in Fox Lake in 2020 showing yesterday and today pictures of places around the community. Each one had an interesting story behind it.
In the afternoon, we went to the McHenry American Legion as our first stop on the McHenry annual Christmas Walk, where many stores, restaurants and bars have specials and Christmas-themed activities going on.
Later, we went to Grinder's, Old Bridge and ended up back at the Legion.
We were sorry to find out that Richmond-Burton had lost their game to Joliet Catholic, but no one was surprised. That team should not have been in Class 4A.
Came home and watched "Ghostbusters" and "Ghostbusters II."
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 21
Went to the McHenry American Legion and watched the Bears lose another game. They have now lost six in a row. People are calling to have Coach Nagy fired.
Stopped at Sunnyside on the way home.
--RoadDog
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18
First time with sun in a long time. Sure peps everyone up.
We went to Donovan's Reef in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, for live trivia with Uncle Jeffie and that great half-price Happy Hour.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19
I went to our local Walgreens in Spring Grove, Illinois, and bought my Richmond-Burton High School gear for Liz and myself. I bought a hat and hooded sweatshirt for myself and a tee shirt for Liz. Tomorrow, we play probably one of the best schools in the state in the IHSA football playoffs, Joliet Catholic, ranked #4 in the state, despite having only 600 students. But, they draft their players.
Figured we'd support our boys even if we're not going out to the game. It is way too cold to sit outside at our age.
Met Kevin and Kelly at Rusty Nail in Ringwood, Illinois, for their fish fry which is considered one of the best in the area. We can see why with the quality and amount of food you get AUCE for $14. Neither one of us came anywhere close to finishing our first round.
--RoadDog
Past Movie Scratches-- Movies I saw on TV in 2020.
73. HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THEM PHOENIX-- 4-11-- Not much fin at Old Hogwarts with cat-plate lover and edict-maker Miss Umbrage. But, they get her.
74. HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE-- 4-12-- Professor Snape is the Half Blood Prince and kills Dumbledore.
75. HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS PT. 1-- Looking for Old No-Nose's horcruxes.
76. HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS-- PT. 2-- 4-12-- We find out the truth about Professor Snape, the Battle of Hogwarts and death of Old No-Nose and his snake. And, how about that Neville!!!!
77. GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY PART 2-- 4-13-- Daddy Dearest. And, not your old Indians either. (Cleveland)
78. THE WIZARD OF OZ-- 4-14-- A horse of a different color if you know what I mean.
Sure Made a Mess Out of the Old School. --RoadDog
THINGS YOU'D LIKE TO SAY: I'm real easy to get along with once you people learn to worship me.
