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DELL RAT TOM'S
JUKEBOX GIANTS
JUKEBOX GIANTS
on the station that's #1 for music and fun - S-P-M-M!
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
(COLD SHOW OPEN)
"Something About You' - Four Tops
(Christmas 1965, highest chart pos. #19 Hot 100/#9 R&B)
Motown's terrific, prolific Four Tops kicking off this special holiday blogcast
with a song that was hot in the Shady during the Christmas season in 1965,
the weeks when I was still wet behind the ears, a Dell newbie.
Hi! Dell Rat Tom here, welcoming you to my second
show on the all new S-P-M-M radio. If you happen
to be watching our simulcast on YouTube, that rare
show on the all new S-P-M-M radio. If you happen
to be watching our simulcast on YouTube, that rare
video clip showed the mighty Four Tops performing
on Swingin' Time, an American Bandstand type
show hosted by DJ and Keener 13 (WKNR Detroit)
personality Robin Seymour. The series was also
emceed for a time by Tom Shannon, a CKLW
radio DJ. It was broadcast on CKLW-TV 9
in Windsor, Ontario, and syndicated
in a few other markets.
on Swingin' Time, an American Bandstand type
show hosted by DJ and Keener 13 (WKNR Detroit)
personality Robin Seymour. The series was also
emceed for a time by Tom Shannon, a CKLW
radio DJ. It was broadcast on CKLW-TV 9
in Windsor, Ontario, and syndicated
in a few other markets.
I'm flashing back to those great Christmases up at the Dell,
and here's an old seasonal song that first played in the
dance hall during the holidays in 1957.
and here's an old seasonal song that first played in the
dance hall during the holidays in 1957.
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
Every year as Christmas approached, this record magically appeared
in the jukebox to the delight of the rat pack. From my first Christmas
at the Dell in 1965 and all those other Dell Christmases before and
after-- Bobby Helms sings-- "Jingle Bell Rock!"
in the jukebox to the delight of the rat pack. From my first Christmas
at the Dell in 1965 and all those other Dell Christmases before and
after-- Bobby Helms sings-- "Jingle Bell Rock!"
"Jingle Bell Rock" - Bobby Helms
(Christmas 1957, highest chart pos. #6 Hot 100/#13 Country)
Holding down the #100 spot on my list of the
Dell's 200 Greatest Hits - Bobby Helms and
his seasonal evergreen "Jingle Bell Rock."
A couple of weeks ago Dell Rat Jerre and
I played the version of "Stormy Weather"
recorded by the Susquehanna Valley's
blue-eyed soul band The Magnificent
Men. In the fall of 1968, The Mag Men
released as a single a version of
"Save The Country," the Laura Nyro
song inspired by the assassination of
Robert F. Kennedy and most famously
recorded by The 5th Dimension.
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
At the Dell it was the soulful, mid tempo killer B side that got played more often
and remained hot in the box all the way through Christmas. With Buddy King
on lead vocal, The Magnificent Men-- "So Much Love Waiting!"
"So Much Love Waiting" - The Magnificent Men
(Oct. thru Dec. 1968, from 1968 album The World of Soul)
"So Much Love Waiting," one of my favorite songs by The Magnificent Men,
the sensational white R&B band from Central Pennsylvania - a fab flip side that
went uncharted nationally but became a giant of the jukebox at the Shady Dell.
In the fall of '66 I was visiting my cousin
Bill Lewis. We listened to some of his
albums. More than anyone else, Bill
was responsible for turning me on
to James Brown, Johnny Rivers and
my next featured group, The Miracles.
Bill played for me his new Miracles LP
Away We a Go-Go. My favorite song
on the album is on the turntable now.
Written and produced by Holland–
Dozier–Holland, this was the last
single released by the Motown group
before their name officially changed
to Smokey Robinson & The Miracles.
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
Here's a major memory maker from Christmas time 1966,
a single that went top 20 pop, top 5 R&B - The Miracles of
Motown-- "(Come 'Round Here) I'm the One You Need!"
Motown-- "(Come 'Round Here) I'm the One You Need!"
"(Come 'Round Here) I'm the One You Need" - The Miracles
(Christmas 1966, highest chart pos. #17 Hot 100, #4 R&B,
from Nov. 1966 album Away We a Go-Go.)
Smokey Robinson And The Miracles with
a holiday biggie and a great dance number
"(Come 'Round Here) I'm the One You Need."
As much fun as The Dell was in summer,
it was pure magic in winter, and here is a
slow dance tune that went for many a spin
in the "barn" through Christmas 1966 and
into the new year. Waxed by New Orleans
soul man Aaron Neville and released as a
single in October 1966, the record made
Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest
Songs of All Time and had dreamy-eyed
Dell rat couples flocking to the floor
and blissfully swaying to the sound.
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
Here's Aaron Neville and his Christmas
cuddle classic-- "Tell It Like It Is!"
cuddle classic-- "Tell It Like It Is!"
"Tell It Like It Is" - Aaron Neville
(Christmas 1966, highest chart pos. #2 Hot 100/#1 R&B)
That was Aaron Neville with his signature
song "Tell It Like It Is," coming in at #140
on my Dell Top 200 survey. If you're just
tuning in, I'm Dell Rat Tom of The Shady
Bunch playing the greatest hits of the
Shady Dell on Jukebox Giants.
S-P-M-M is retrosonic radio in
futuresonic stereo surround, and
here is a fine example - a newly
enhanced version of another Dell
hit from the Christmas of 1966.
CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!
It's "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone," produced and arranged by
Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. Here they are, Micky, Mike,
Peter and Davy - The Beatles! The Monkees!
"(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" - The Monkees
(Christmas 1966, highest chart pos. #20 Hot 100/#1 Canada)
The Monkees with "Steppin' Stone," one of the jukebox giants
on the pop band's monster doublesider single backed with
"I'm A Believer," a song written by Neil Diamond.
on the pop band's monster doublesider single backed with
"I'm A Believer," a song written by Neil Diamond.
Now picture this: a December night at the Dell. Outside
it's chilling... but inside it's thrilling... with a fireplace
that's burning... and records that keep turning.
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
Out on the floor the Dell dancers kept each other warm by sharing body heat.
That little story sets up my clever segue to "98.6," the biggie by the Philadelphia
pop singer known simply as Keith. Backing vocals on this record were provided
by the Brooklyn doo-wop group The Tokens. "98.6" was hot in the Shady at
Christmas 1966 and well into the winter of '67. Now this is Dell Rat Tom
wishing you a Merry Christmas and reminding you to make every day
a holiday and every night a Shady Dell night. See you next time!
by the Brooklyn doo-wop group The Tokens. "98.6" was hot in the Shady at
Christmas 1966 and well into the winter of '67. Now this is Dell Rat Tom
wishing you a Merry Christmas and reminding you to make every day
a holiday and every night a Shady Dell night. See you next time!
"98.6" - Keith
(Christmas 1966, highest chart pos.
#7 Hot 100/#24 UK/#25 Australia)
(Christmas 1966, highest chart pos.
#7 Hot 100/#24 UK/#25 Australia)
Lot of hits that year at Christmas.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas, Shady!
Hi, Alex!
DeleteThanks for being the early bird again this time, good buddy!
At Christmas 1965 and again during the holiday period in 1966, the two years during which I went to the Dell practically every night, the jukebox in the dance hall was practically overflowing with great records, some of the best sounds of the 60s, and that old seasonal favorite by Bobby Helms was always in the mix.
Thanks again for coming, good buddy Alex. Enjoy the rest of your week and have a happy Christmas!
Tom,
ReplyDeleteI can only imagine the fun The Shady Dell was for you and your pals. It had to be especially magical at Christmas, as I recall all too well that same feeling from Decembers long ago. It didn't matter what I was doing or who I was with, everything seemed more special with Christmas in the air. Your mewsic memories are mostly new to me with the exception of your last two tune spinning on the turn table - 'Stepping Stone' and '98.6'. These I remember very well but not from 1966 as much as in the early 70s. I was a bit too young in '66 to recall these songs being released. Thanks for sharing these hits at the Dell and may you and Mrs. Shady have the merriest Christmas ever! Sending warm hugs to you both!!
Hi, Cathy!
DeleteThanks so much for setting aside a pocket of time to hang out with me as we flash back to Christmas at the Shady Dell in the years 1965, 1966 and 1968.
I wish you had been a Dellette of the 60s, Cathy, so that you could have experienced the fun and excitement of our favorite hangout, especially in winter and particularly at Christmas. Whenever that Bobby Helms song started playing on the jukebox (and it played several times a night during the holidays) Dell rats filled the floor and danced merrily. I'm glad you remember the last two Dell classics. I find it interesting that you remember them from the 70s because that is when you were first exposed to them, as oldies. Imagine what it was like when those songs were newly released and the teenagers of America were hearing them for the first time. It was tunetastic!
Thank you again for your kind visit and comment, dear friend Cathy. I wish you and DH and your son and daughters a Christmas filled with joy, family warmth and the sharing of happy memories of Christmases past!
I love Aaron Neville and have an entire Christmas CD of his. I don't guess I realized he had a solo career that early on. Didn't he do time in Angola? After this, perhaps? I'll let you do my research for me. ;)
ReplyDeleteHi, Kelly!
DeleteThanks for coming over for a visit, dear friend. I'm pleased to see you!
I looked it up in my Funk & Wagnalls (dated Laugh-In reference) and learned that, yes indeed, Aaron did six months behind bars at the Louisiana State Pen in Angola, but it was well before he had a successful recording career. Aaron was only around 17 when he was incarcerated in 1958 after being arrested for auto theft. Aaron and brother Charles wrote a song about the experience entitled "Angola Bound" - "a sweeping, swampy, rock blues tune." Aaron Neville's story is inspiring because he bounced back, got on the right track and the rest is music history.
Thanks again for joining the fun, dear friend Kelly, and enjoy the rest of your week. This is my last post until the day after Christmas, and therefore I wish you a very happy one!
Listening to the "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" and watching the various images flit by in the video as the song played made me realize the fine line the Monkees had to walk, presenting themselves as a legitimate pop band (thanks in large part to the talented Brill Building songwriters that provided their material) and at the same time a parody of a pop band (thanks to their TV show.) And they walked that fine line quite well.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, I thought "Tell It Like It Is" was from the 1970 or '71. But 1966? Earlier than I thought. I think it kind of prefigured '70s soul, but you may know more about that than me.
I never heard the Keith song before, but I liked it.
Hi, Kirk!
DeleteThanks for reporting in, good buddy. I'm happy to see you!
I enjoyed the recordings and videos of The Monkees a lot more than their TV series. The TV show was too wacky, too zany, too over the top for my taste. The Monkees gave us a string of excellent, feel good, bubblegum pop singles including the song in this post, "Steppin' Stone," a song so good it could have been released as an A side. You can always tell a great recording artist, group or band by the number of outstanding songs they release as B sides of singles. When The Monkees started trying to prove themselves as songwriters and serious musicians the fun went out of their music and I lost interest.
Aaron Neville's "Tell It Like It Is" brought the sound of New Orleans back to the top of the chart in late 1966/early 1967. Fats Domino, Smiley Lewis and others had popularized New Orleans Rhythm and Blues in the 50s. It stands to reason that as you were coming of age in 1970/71 you heard Aaron's signature song on the radio and/or saw him perform it on TV music variety shows. "Tell It Like It Is" reached #1 on the R&B chart and made a run at the top spot on the pop chart, finishing at #2. Aaron's record was denied the #1 position by the one mentioned above, The Monkees' doublesider "I'm A Believer" b/w "Steppin' Stone." Aaron Neville didn't gain another major hit until the end of 1989 when he and Linda Ronstadt released the duet "Don't Know Much."
I'm glad you enjoyed "98.6," the quintessential winter song that reminds us of the joys of keeping warm by means of body heat generated by dancing and other activities.
Thanks again for coming, good buddy Kirk, and happy holidays to you!
Dear Friend,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your trip down memory lane this Christmas. I always love your Shady Dell stories! :)
This post had me rocking and I think I might have to play these tomorrow before our Polyana at the full-time job. Might get me into the groove before we see Trans Siberian Orchestra. I always love the Four Tops too.
Have a great Thankful Thursday, dear friend.
Hi, Jessica Marie!
DeleteThanks for joining the fun as Dell Rat Tom spins more Dell gold on Jukebox Giants!
That's a great rare clip of the Four Tops performing on Swingin' Time. "It's The Same Old Song" was still on the chart and on the Dell jukebox around the time of my earliest visits to the hangout, but the song posted here, "Something About You," is the first Four Tops record that really made an impression on me during my first few weeks as a Dell rat. In the months and years that followed, several other Four Tops A and B sides made my list of the 200 Greatest Hits of the Shady Dell, and Dell Rat Tom will be spinning them on his radio show.
I'm glad you enjoyed strolling down memory lane with Dell Rat Tom. I can tell that you have some fun activities planned for today and over the weekend. Have fun and stay safe, and thank you again for your visit and comment, dear friend JM!
Jingle Bell Rock has been around a long time! It was fun watching the video. They sure danced a lot different back then!
ReplyDeleteHave a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Hi, Sherry!
DeleteHow are you, dear friend? It's great to see you!
I'm glad you enjoyed the video that went along with the 1957 Christmas oldie "Jingle Bell Rock." However, I think the footage of dancing teenagers was taken from a mid 60s episode of American Bandstand, not the late 50s. Nevertheless, it is always fascinating to see how young people of any time period dressed and danced.
I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas, dear friend Sherry. Thanks again for stopping by!
Good Morning, Dell Rat Tom! It's almost noon here, and cool though it is, the sun is shining bright!
ReplyDeleteI always liked Bobby Helms "Jingle Bell Rock". Last night was Scootie's Christmas gala at school. They played this one for their Carol sing-a-long! A lot of the kids and some teachers piled on the stage to sing and rock to it. Scootie is too shy to get up and sing, but one of his teachers came by and tried to hand him the microphone, lol! He turned 50 shades of pink and red!
This was a cool video with the teen dancers and the vintage Christmas pictures featured. I like the 1957 Christmas stamps...would be cool to have some in a stamp collection.
"Something About You" is one song that I don't remember hearing. The Four Tops were fabulous in my book. This song is a great way to start a dance party. I can see why it was popular at the Dell. These guys could really sing, and I think they were underrated!
"98.6" was played a lot on my radio, but I guess I didn't pay attention to the title name and artist name! And another "thumbs up" to the Mag Men! Outstanding "So Much Love Waiting". The title is really catchy and these guys have the most amazing vocals!
From here on out it's all uphill, Sir Dell Rat! I have to say this about the Monkees. I guess without admitting it too much, I must have really liked them. "I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone" does tell a story about a 'no-nonsense' guy. The vocals are fierce and commanding! A good job by these 'goofy' and cute guys. They are truly stand-up, multi-talented entertainers. As you mentioned, "I'm A Believer" is another great song of the Monkees.
I think Aaron Neville's "Tell It Like it Is" is definitely a great cuddle classic all the year long! I'm telling you Shady, putting the fabulous instrumentals behind the words of this one really drags the emotion out your heart! Smokey always shows up with his best, doesn't he! I don't know why buy I have never heard the song you played, "Come Round Here", and must say it is a pretty good one.
This is a great start to remembering the Christmas dance's and parties. So many emotions emerge during the holidays, and some songs certainly bring out the memories, good and not so good.
I enjoyed your Jukebox Giants and stories of Christmas past from the Dell. Even though I was in a different part of the country, I can certainly identify with the music and mood of the season with good music and good friends.
Have a wonderful Christmas Shady if I don't see you around here beforehand. I couldn't come around yesterday, too much to do with Scootie's school. And, we are giving him up for Christmas week to his mother, (he leaves tonight) but will have him back to ring in the New Year! He enjoyed staying up with me last New Year's Eve to watch the ball fall in New York at midnight!
Thank you for a great post, Shady! Take care dear friend! ♫
Hi, Suzanne!
DeleteThanks so much for making time to savor some vintage sounds of the Dell with Shady Bunch deejay and original Dell Rat Tom. I should apologize to you for replying so late to your comment, but I have a darn good reason. All day long we have had gale to tropical storm force winds blowing a cold front through our area. At 10 am we lost cable and internet and just got it restored a few minutes ago - a FIVE hour interruption of service! In fact, we are in the middle of another ferocious storm at this very minute, rain blowing sideways, and it wouldn't surprise me if we lose power.
I wish I had been at Scootie's school to watch the kids and teachers perform "Jingle Bell Rock." With musical performing grandparents like you and Karo to influence him, I am surprised Scootie is shy about singing in public. I hope he has to safe trip to his mother's place and that you won't have a blue blue blue Christmas without him. At least you and Scootie can pick a New Year's Eve movie to watch (as Mrs. Shady and I always do) and you can also watch the ball drop in Times Square (which we also do). PLUS, and this is a biggie, you and Scootie can enjoy Shady Seaweed's annual New Year's Rockin' Eve in the Shady blogcast right here on SPMM, this year with a special guest host. That party gets underway on Dec. 26 and runs until New Year's morning.
It's interesting that you don't remember the Tops' "Something About You" and " Smokey's "Come 'Round Here." They were top 10 and top 5 hits respectively, but on the R&B chart. On the pop chart, both singles barely cracked the top 20, and that might explain why your local top 40 station didn't play them often or perhaps not at all. As I told you before, the radio stations, listeners and record buyers in my region were more heavily into R&B and soul than those in other parts of the country. This was even more the case at the Shady Dell. I'm happy to know you enjoyed hearing those songs for the first time and that you give props to our hometown heroes, The Magnificent Men, on their 1968 release "So Much Love Waiting" with Buddy King on lead.
Just curious, Suzanne: Did you ever date Davy Jones? :) Marcia Brady did. "Steppin' Stone" and "Believer" were played equally (and often) on the jukebox in the Dell dance hall. I'm thrilled that you appreciate Aaron Neville's signature song. When that record started paying on the "barn box," rats scurried to the floor to sway blissfully. It was two-and-a-half minutes in heaven. They don't make 'em quite like that anymore - the record or the artist.
I'm glad these Dell songs of the 60s brought back some Christmas time memories, Suzanne. I hope the happy ones outnumber and outweigh the sad. Keep in mind that every year at this time I wrestle with the memory of my father passing away on Christmas Day (as did his father before him). Thank you again for making time for a visit and for your usual delightful comments and observations. I really appreciate it!
Merry Christmas to you, Scootie, Rusty, your mother and sister, and your whole family, dear friend Suzanne!
I also wondered why I hadn't heard the Tops' or Smokey's songs you featured. I guess you're right about the stations not playing them much, but they played a lot of both artists. Perhaps the focus was to run the really top numbers down as long as they could.
DeleteHaha, no I didn't date Davy Jones, but I always thought he was a cutie, and his accent just made it more glamorous!
A few of our local churches would have teen dances one or two Friday nights a month, and the admission was $.25. The Christmas dances were so special, even if I didn't have a boyfriend to dance with! We would wear holiday attire, and try to look our best. It's funny now...I've been to class reunions these past few years, and the guys in my sister's class that would always go to the dances, don't remember her having a little sister, lol! That's degrading! But, now, they're asking for my phone number! I laugh to myself...and, I tell them, I don't socialize much. Shady, I just don't want to talk to any men even on the phone. Guess, I'm just not in the market, or on the market, haha!
Bobby Helms did a lot of good stuff! I like "Now and Then, There's a Fool Such as I" and "You Are My Special Angel".
At Scootie's school, they had a movie screen put up and played the Christmas carols with the words so everyone could sing along. Scootie is so shy, but I've been discussing the possibilities of him learning to play any instrument, and even taking band class later in school. Right now he says, not interested. But I have caught him singing on occasion, and he has a sweet voice!
Well, I had best run for now...Scootie's mom didn't make it to pick him up. More drama about flat tires-and, I don't want her showing up in the middle of the night. I told her to wait until tomorrow. He isn't too disappointed. It's normal.
Thank you Shady. Gosh I'm sorry to hear about your mishap this morning. I hope you don't get anymore serious storms, I think you've had your share. And it is so humiliating to lose power when you depend on it so much. Have a pleasant weekend, and Merry Christmas to you and Mrs. Shady! We will be watching them celebrate New Year's all over! I have to say, I am more excited about a New Year celebration this year than Christmas! Take care dear friend!
Hi again, dear Suzanne!
DeleteOvernight I pondered this question about the Tops' song and the Smokey song. I wondered how it could be that those crossover hits of the mid 60s could be new to your ears when they are old familiar favorites to my ears and to those of many other soul lovers in my region of the country, in the Motor City and in other soul meccas across the country. You might recall my old blog friend Belle who grew up in California and is my age. Over the years I learned that the records played on her local top 40 station did not include many of my Dell songs by black artists. If her local station did play them, they were not ranked high and not played in heavy rotation as were records by The Beach Boys and other West Coast artists or artists from other parts of the country whose recordings fit the laid back SoCal lifestyle. The top 30 or top 40 tunes surveys assembled by local stations in any particular market typically included quite a few records by local and regional acts. Those records crowded out some of the records that made the top 20, 30 or 40 nationally. I keep going back to the fact that I was blessed to have been in a unique situation, in the right place at the right time - The Shady Dell in the mid 60s. The Dell was a world of its own where soul and R&B records were disproportionately popular. Dell rats paid no attention to the national chart or even the local top tunes survey. They decided for themselves which records were cool and danceworthy, and that included many obscure B sides. The Rodentia Intelligentsia broke their own hits. Whomever programmed the dance hall jukebox responded to the popularity and heavy play of black records and blue-eyed soul records by loading new releases in the same genres, skewing the Dell playlist in that musical direction, and the process continued year after year.
My church also held dances down in the basement and I attended a few. I met a young lady through those functions and she became the inspiration of a two post series on SDMM several years ago. I plan to rework that story and post it again someday here at Shady's Place. It's strange that men in your older sister's class who attend reunion dances in recent years don't remember you. It doesn't surprise me that some are asking for your phone number. An attractive widow with a pleasing personality is quite a find. I admire you for practicing restraint instead of jumping back into dating before you are ready. "Love is a battlefield" and, as Adrian Monk would say, "It's a jungle out there," so one needs to be careful.
Yessum, "My Special Angel" is actually my favorite by Bobby Helms. If Scootie would join the chorus, allowing his voice to blend with the voices of other children, perhaps he would gain confidence and one day agree to sing a solo part. He could also built confidence by learning to play an instrument. Maybe you could teach him a few things there in your home recording studio.
Oh no, I am sorry to learn that Scootie's mom did not pick him up at the agreed time. I hope the transfer goes smoothly today. At least it gave you a few extra hours with him before she takes him for the holiday.
Our weather has calmed down now, but yesterday was the worst we have experienced since last year's hurricane. It was horrible. We even had a brief hail storm. Fortunately we did not lose electricity.
Your friendship is a blessing, Suzanne. I wish you a merry Christmas. Please email me from time to time and let me know how you're doing. You are an honorary Dellete and Dell rats stick together, whatever the weather. Have a great weekend, dear friend!
Hi Tom! I do think I missed a previous post and I'm so sorry! But I've enjoyed this one because I actually remember a few of these hits. I loved the Monkees and this one is a favorite. 98.6 also is a goodie...one that won't put any calories on at this time of year! I bet it was fun to hang out at the Dell during Christmas time and school was out. Seeing all your friends and dancing up a storm..snow storm probably in Penn.! Well, I'm going to hit that "Jingle Bell Rock" one more time...it's also a big favorite of mine and I've heard many versions of it on the radio this year. Have a wonderful Christmas and I'll keep your family in my prayers as I know this will be a hard one for Mrs. Shady. Merry Christmas Tom.
ReplyDeleteHi, YaYa!
DeleteWelcome back to Shady's Place, dear friend! Knowing your taste in fashion and music, maybe it is best that you missed the previous post which featured twerking Miley, queen of the wardrobe malfunction, and Screaming Mimi Maria Brink, lead zinger of the metal band In This Moment. :) However, if time permits, I invite you to check out the THEN girls - Annette, Gale Garnett and Linda Ronstadt.
I'm delighted that you remember a few of the songs on Dell Rat Tom's playlist of the Shady Dell. I'm happy to know you recall the Keith hit "98.6." A couple of other readers surprised me by telling me they were not familiar with it.
Over the years you and I have discussed this many times. "You had to be there" at the Dell of the mid to late 60s to comprehend the exciting and unique experience it was. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to be part of that scene. Even if the snow was piling up on the ground and roads, it didn't stop die hard Dell rats from getting up the hill to their favorite hangout. My parents nagged me to stay home on those snowy winter nights, but I knew the other guys and girls would be there and I didn't want to miss a single minute of the fun. The Dell stayed open in all kinds of weather, 365 days a year, and never closed for the night until the last customer went home. On at least one occasion that I recall, the last rat standing at the end of the night... was me.
Thank you again for coming by, YaYa. I wish you and your wonderful family the best Christmas ever, and I pray that your dear mother will enjoy good health throughout the coming year. Thank you for your prayers as we continue to mourn the loss of a family member last month.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend, dear friend YaYa!
Christmas time at the Dell must have been so special!! Such great hits. I love Smokey Robinson.
ReplyDeleteShady, I hope you and the Mrs have a wonderful Christmas and wanted to say thank you for your friendship and blogging support to me. I missed you during my break and was so happy that you stayed loyal as a follower. Means the world to me!
Hi, Holli-berry!
DeleteWelcome to Christmas at the Dell, dear friend! I'm happy to see you and to know you enjoyed the Jukebox Giants recorded by Smokey and the other artists in the post.
Your loyal friendship and support mean just as much to me, Holli. I am thankful that we continue to stick together as friends even during those times when we need to break away from blogging.
Thanks again for joining the fun, dear friend Holli. I wish you and Todd, your dogs and the rest of your loved ones a wonderful Christmas!