INSPIRED BY THE SHADY DELL, YORK, PA, AND DEDICATED TO ITS OWNERS JOHN & HELEN ETTLINE
AND TO MARGARET ELIZABETH BROWN SCHNEIDER, NICKNAMED "THE OLDEST LIVING DELL RAT"


Saturday, March 25, 2023

 SAVED BY THE BELL  DELL  #7 

Salvaged and Restored -
The Shady Dell
Record Collection!
Vol. 7: Long Lost Dell Songs of
Late 1957 and Early 1958

 BEWARE! NOTHING CAN 
 PREPARE YOU FOR... 

 JUKEBOX GIANTS 
 THAT TIME FORGOT! 


Hello, friends!  Dell Rat Tom
welcoming you to volume 7
of my exclusive 36-part
Shady's Place series

 SAVED 
 BY THE 
 BELL  
 DELL 




Today, you will
travel back to the
Christmas season of
1957
and the beginning of
1958
and find yourself
standing before
the Dell jukebox.
Those dimes
and quarters
you brought
along are
 burning
a hole
in your
pocket...
so why not
feed them
to the record
machine and
play some
of the great
Dell songs
of late 1957
and early '58?


This series was made possible by Jim Sieling, my good friend
in York, and the husband of John Ettline's niece Nancy.  

Jim Sieling
(faithful friend of The Dell)

As you recall, Jim acquired the Dell's Seeburg jukebox (below)
and many of the records that played on it through the decades. 


Keep in mind that the Dell had two jukeboxes - one in Helen's
snack bar up at the house, the other down in "The Barn" -
the dance hall John had built onto the barn and garage. 

When Jim took possession of the Dell's record collection,
he discovered, to his dismay and ours, that many of
the discs had been improperly handled and stored.
Simply put - they were filthy. 


 Mice (Dell rats?) had made a home among the records, and at least
one snake (a Violet Hill viper?) had slithered in looking for a meal. 

Jim undertook the mammoth job of cleaning, organizing and cataloging
the records, then sent me the finished alphabetical list. There are 6,065
records on Jim's list including Christmas records, 12,130 songs in all!
 My series brings you the 180 best Dell jukebox songs from 1955
through 1963, a period long before I arrived on the scene.

This series is dedicated to
the memory of Nancy Sieling.

Nancy Sieling
(faithful friend of The Dell)

  Nancy, who was John Ettline's niece and Jim's wife, passed away in 2020.
Over the years, Nancy's generous contributions of pictures, information
and Shady Dell memorabilia greatly enhanced the quality of both of my
Dell-themed blogs. We have Nancy to thank for rescuing many of the
Dell's priceless platters when they were art risk of being thrown into
a trash dumpster and destroyed, hence the name of my series... 

 SAVED BY THE BELL  DELL  

Of course, we also have Jim to thank for tackling the enormous
task of cleaning, organizing and cataloging these 6,065 records!

Okay, it's time to use your imagination. Pretend that you are
at the Dell looking at the musical menu on the jukebox.
Scroll down and play the next 5 Dell songs. 

 BEWARE AND BEHOLD... 
  LISTEN AND LEARN... 
 AS WE EXPERIENCE... 

 JUKEBOX GIANTS 
 THAT TIME FORGOT! 

 The records and pictures are arranged in chronological
order, allowing you to trace the evolution of the
"Shady Dell Sound" and clothing styles
month by month through the years.  

You know the drill.


 ENJOY THE VINTAGE FASHION 
 PARADE AND FANZINES

 CLICK ON PICTURES OF 
 RECORDS TO PLAY SONGS. 



 CHRISTMAS 1957 







 SAVED BY THE DELL 

 DELL SONG 31 












 SAVED BY THE DELL 

 DELL SONG 32 






 SAVED BY THE DELL 
 DELL SONG 33 






 JANUARY 1958 





 SAVED BY THE DELL 
 DELL SONG 34 








 JANUARY - FEBRUARY 1958 






 SAVED BY THE DELL
 DELL SONG 35 



Once again I thank our late, great friend of the Dell,
Nancy Sieling, and her husband Jim, for doing the
good work of preserving the Shady Dell legacy for
future generations. We owe you a debt of gratitude.  

Stick around. You'll hear more long lost songs
of the Shady Dell... the moldy oldies, dusty discs,
colossal fossils and rusty relics we like to call...


 JUKEBOX GIANTS 
 THAT TIME FORGOT! 

coming up on the next exciting edition of...

 SAVED BY THE BELL  DELL 

Saturday, March 18, 2023

Thea Queen of Clubs - Vol. 1: Wild Girls Like Billie Jean!


(COLD OPEN)
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!


"That's Where The Happy People Go" - The Trammps
(Apr./May 1976, highest chart pos. #1 Disco/#12 R&B,
#27 Hot 100, perf. on Dutch TV show TopPop)

Disco... "That's Where The Happy People Go," and you just saw and heard
The Trammps of Philadelphia, one of the pioneering disco bands of the 70s,
doing their crossover hit that topped the dance chart in the spring of 1976. 



Live from Club Verdant, where the
happy people go in Star City... it's
Thea Queen of Clubs!




Hi there! I'm your
Hostess with the Mostest
Thea Queen
 welcoming you into the club
 and inviting you to dance
till dawn or till you drop,
whichever comes first.

As you recall from my previous
appearances on Shady's blogs,
I'm Oliver Queen's kid sister
on Arrow, the superhero TV
series based on the DC
comics character
Green Arrow


Using the code name Speedy, I am a member of Team Arrow,
the gang of crime fighting vigilantes on a mission to save our city. 







When I'm not suited up for combat,
I'm gussied up for hosting duties
as owner of Verdant, a nightclub
founded by Oliver and used as a
cover for his vigilante operation.
His Arrowcave headquarters
is located in the basement. 







That's Ollie (above) at the grand opening of Verdant
proposing a toast and thanking the party people for coming.


Our mother was also there that night to show her support.


In previous appearances on Shady's blogs, I have been your host for rave parties.
This is my first official radio show as a new member of The Shady Bunch.

Thea Queen of Clubs
is unique because it is the only S-P-M-M show that comes to you
live from a nightclub with simulcasts on radio and YouTube. 



CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

My mission is to keep you out on the
floor and begging for more as I play
the best of 70s disco and 80s dance
club sounds, and here now is another
great one. It's LA-based R&B thrush
Carrie Lucas performing the hit single
from her most successful album,
Carrie Lucas in Danceland.
The 1979 disco song brushed
the top 5 on the U.S. Dance
chart and went top 40 in the
UK. Here's Carrie Lucas
making it clear she wants
to-- "Dance With You!"  


"Dance With You" - Carrie Lucas
(Apr./May 1979, highest chart pos. #6 U.S. Dance,
#27 R&B/#40 UK/#70 Hot 100)




From 1979, the last big year for disco,
that was a sizzling sound on both sides
of the pond... California dance diva
Carrie Lucas and her best known
song "Dance With You." 

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

We're still deep in the heart of disco
as I play this seldom heard relic from
early 1979... another record that was
a hit in both the U.S. and the UK.
Here's child actor and singer
Leif Garrett doing his signature
song "I Was Made For Dancin'." 


"I Was Made For Dancin'" - Leif Garrett
(Jan./Feb. 1979, highest chart pos. #10 Hot 100,
#15 Cash Box/#2 Australia/#3 New Zealand/#4 UK) 

That was teen idol Leif Garrett performing "I Was Made For Dancin'"
... the biggest hit of his career as a recording artist. You first saw
Leif as an actor in 1969 when he played the son of Elliott Gould
and Dyan Cannon in the movie Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice.

Just now tuning in? Hi, I'm...

Thea Queen of Clubs
from the TV series Arrow, and this is my first official radio show on
S-P-M-M... where we make old school new again and cool again.




I'm bringing you the best
of 1970s disco, freestyle
faves and 80s dance club
sounds. We're right in the
middle of a 7-in-a-row
seamless jam, so keep
that body movin'. 

During the Thanksgiving
and Christmas holidays
of 1966, Diana Ross
and The Supremes
topped the charts
with "You Keep
Me Hangin' On."

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Here's the Hi-NRG
remake by English pop
star Kim Wilde, a single
that also reached #1 in
the states.  Go Wilde
on the dance floor as
Kim sings her cover
of "You Keep Me
Hangin' On!"


"You Keep Me Hangin' On" - Kim Wilde
(May/June 1987, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100,
#2 Cash Box/#2 UK/#1 Australia)

That was the official music video for UK popper Kim Wilde's
chart-topping 1987 cover of "You Keep Me Hangin' On." 


CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

Now here's the King of Pop,
Michael Jackson, with a song
everyone in the civilized world
knows. This single spent nine
weeks at #1 and helped Thriller
become the fastest selling album
of all time and top that chart for
37 weeks. The song is ranked
high on Rolling Stone's list of
Greatest Songs of All Time and
was named the greatest dance
record of all time in a poll of
BBC Radio 2  listeners. Here's
Michael with his monster
hit-- "Billie Jean!" 


"Billie Jean" - Michael Jackson
(Jan. thru Apr. 1983, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box
R&B & UK & France & Switzerland & Belgium)



Number one in America and
a smash heard round the world
beginning in the early months
of 1983, that was "Billie Jean"
by The King of Pop...
Michael Jackson. 

Thea Queen
of Clubs

keeping your feet busy
and giving up the funk
with another early 80s
dance club classic.
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW! 

Here's one of the baddest sounds around. It's by the LA-based,
all-female R&B band Klymaxx. Time to party with "Wild Girls!"


"Wild Girls" (12 inch remix) - Klymaxx
(Nov./Dec. 1982, highest chart pos. #78 R&B)

From the ace record producing team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis,
that was "Wild Girls," the best song on the 1982 Klymaxx album
Girls Will Be Girls. At the time of its release, the single didn't
have much impact, but has since grown into a fan favorite.   



Dawn's breaking and the dance party's over. Hope you had fun dancing
the night away at Star City's hottest night spot, Verdant, and being
part of this special live blogcast on S-P-M-M Retro Radio.

 

Stick around. Coming up on the flip side of Gary Owens' news,
Dell Rat Tom returns to Shady's Place with Part 7 of his series

 SAVED BY THE BELL  DELL  


And I'll be back before you know it to bring you more
of the great sounds from the disco 70s and clubbin' 80s.
To play us off, one of the hottest disco hits of the 70s,
"Born To Be Alive" by Patrick Hernandez...

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
 
 And look-- the awesome sight of a flash mob grooving to the song. Now
this is your Rockin' Royalty of Retro Radio, your #1 Dance Diva DJ
Thea Queen of Clubs aka "Speedy" urging you to shed the
blues and put on your boogie shoes. See you next time! 


"Born To Be Alive - Patrick Hernandez
(Aug./Sept. 1979, highest chart pos. #1 Disco/#16 Hot 100,
#17 Cash Box, Flashmob Dance, Feb. 2023)