CAN SHADY DEL KNIGHT KEEP YOU
ENTERTAINED IN THE COMING YEAR?
IS IT A
BAD IDEA
TO READ
A COMIC
BOOK
WHILE
DRIVING?
COLD OPEN:
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
"Anyone Who Had A Heart" - Dionne Warwick/Cilla Black
cover by Atomic Kitten (Mar. 2008, highest chart pos. #77 UK)
Kicking-off the show, that was the popular English girl group Atomic Kitten
with their 2008 cover of "Anyone Who Had A Heart," the Burt Bacharach -
Hal David song that was a hit in 1964 for American soul sista
Dionne Warwick and for British thrush Cilla Black.
Ava Winters
Hi, I'm Ava Winters, star of Obliterated, the outrageous
new action comedy series currently streaming on Netflix.
Lana Head-Turner
And I'm Lana Head-Turner, Ava's Obliterated co-star. You can think of us as
"Atomic Kittens" because, on Obliterated, we get bombed and have a blast.
Liv Taylor
I'm Liv Taylor from the hit British psychological thriller
miniseries Wilderness now streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
Cara Parker
And I'm Cara Parker, "the other woman" who is having a fling with Liv's
husband Will. Liv and I are also "Atomic Kittens" because, on Wilderness,
our feline claws are constantly extended, thanks to that sly tomcat Will.
All four of us "Atomic Kittens" will be back soon to launch
our brand new shows here at Shady's Place, so stick around.
And now.... heeeeeeeeeere's Shady!
WELCOME BACK, DEAR FRIEND!
AND (BELATED) HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I'm delighted to have you
along for the ride as I begin
another year of blogging
here at Shady's Place.
You already met newcomers
Ava, Lana, Liv and Cara.
Now stand by as some of
your favorite Shady Bunch
celebrity presenters of the
past return to entertain you
on my first post of 2024.
So, without further delay,
I'll turn the mic over to
them. Enjoy the show!
Meg Pryor
Hi and Happy New Year!
As you recall...
I'm Margaret "Meg" Pryor...
...a Catholic schoolgirl coming of age in Philadelphia in the early to mid 60s
on the NBC TV series American Dreams.
Imagine my excitement when I made the cut and was picked to
be a regular studio dancer on Dick Clark's American Bandstand!
Sweet American Dreams are made of this!
Just when I thought life couldn't get any better,
Shady Del Knight picked me to join his Shady Bunch
DJ team and host my own show on S-P-M-M called
Meg's Mysteries
& Pryor Convictions
...presenting the best songs from the glory years of Bandstand.
To kick-off 2024, I'm taking you back exactly 60 years, to the early days
of 1964, and giving you an opportunity to witness history being made,
the dawning of Beatlemania in America. In the span of three minutes,
you will observe the transition from the sleepy Eisenhower era
of the 1950s to the supercharged, electrified, rocking 60s.
It's the January 18, 1964, episode of American Bandstand, the day that
host Dick Clark introduced The Beatles to his teenage dancers in
the studio and millions more watching on national network
television. The song is "I Want To Hold Your Hand."
On January 11, 1964, "I Want To Hold Your Hand" entered the Cash Box
Top 100 at an unspectacular #80. One week later, on January 18, the date
this episode of Bandstand aired, the Beatles song made its first appearance
on the Billboard Hot 100 at #45. A week after that, it shot to #1 on Cash Box.
Two weeks later, it soared to #1 on the Hot 100. The Beatles record spent
8 weeks at #1 on Cash Box and 7 weeks at #1 on Billboard... igniting
Beatlemania and ushering in the British Invasion of the American
music industry. Keep in mind, American Bandstand was typically
taped a few weeks in advance of the air date, meaning that,
when this episode was being produced, the sound of
The Beatles was literally brand new in America.
Let's turn back to the clock now to that pivotal moment in the history
of popular music, the day on Bandstand when millions of teenagers
across America heard this iconic Beatles song for the first time.
In the first 30 seconds of this video, the studio dancers sway to a mellow
Brenda Lee ballad, a throwback indicative of the placid Eisenhower years.
When the song ends, Dick Clark intros a record by a band called The Beatles.
Watch the transformation in the mood of the dancers as they slowly get into the
brand new sound and start to come alive, swept away on a tsunami of excitement.
They seem to realize that something huge was happening... right then and there.
The bland, black and white Fifties were officially over... and the
mind-blowing, neon-colored, Swinging Sixties were underway.
Music as we knew it and, indeed, life as we knew it...
would never be the same again.
Behold the start of a phenomenon, the beginning of a cultural revolution.
This was the day... this was the moment... when everything changed!
"I Want To Hold Your Hand" - The Beatles
(Jan./Feb./Mar. 1964, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box)
studio dancers on Jan. 18, 1964, ep. of American Bandstand)
Dell Rat Ron
Hi everyone, and happy new year!
As you might recall, I'm original
Dell rat Ron Shearer, one of your
hosts on the Shady's Place series
Top Hit Club
of America.
The song you just heard, "I Want To
Hold Your Hand," was recorded in
October, 1963, and is one of the
best known and greatest hits of
the 20th century. In contrast, the
song I am about to play, waxed
a few months earlier, came and
went practically unnoticed.
There's a good chance you remember the song "Keep On Dancing," a cover
made popular by the Memphis-based band The Gentrys. Their record peaked
in the top 5 at Halloween, 1965. I'm willing to bet that few of you know the
original version of the song which was recorded by an obscure R&B group
called The Avantis and released two years earlier in June, 1963, on the
Chicago-based Argo label, a subsidiary of Chess Records.
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
Many people prefer this soulful R&B recording to the pop platter released by
The Gentrys. Here are The Avantis with the original of "Keep On Dancing!"
"Keep On Dancing" - The Avantis (June 1963, uncharted)
Mikaela Shaw
Hi and happy 2024 to one and all! I'm Mikaela Shaw from the NBC sitcom Mr. Mayor.
A social media influencer, I was appointed chief of staff to
Los Angeles Mayor Ted Danson uh... I mean Neil Bremer.
You see, Neil, a retired billboard ad executive who runs for, and becomes,
Mayor of LA, looks exactly like actor Ted Danson. My show's a laugh riot.
Emily Price
Hello, friends! If you think you're seeing double, let me explain.
I'm Mikaela's lookalike doppelganger clone, Emily Price...
one of the stars of the Fox TV sitcom Animal Control.
As the good-natured director at the A.C. precinct, I am often taken advantage of
by my staff. Like Mikaela's series, Animal Control is a hoot-and-a-half.
Emily and I will be hosting our very own radio show on SPMM called
DOUBLE DOWN
with Mikaela & Emily
We're calling our series Double Down because I could double for Emily
and she for me, and also because ours will be the only Shady's Place
program to present nothing but double plays - two songs in a row by
the same artists all the way down the playlist on each and every show!
To kick-off the new year, we've got a sample double play for you, a special request
that just came in on our toll free hotline from a British lad named Austin Powers.
When The Beatles took America by storm in early 1964, they opened the
floodgates to other English bands and duos. One of the most successful acts
of the so-called British Invasion was Herman's Hermits, a pop-rock group
led by kid-tested, mother-approved singer Peter Noone.
In the ultra-rare video you are about to see, Peter performs a cover of a song
written and first recorded in the fall of 1964 by U.S. singer - songwriter Kenny
Young, a Herman's Hermits single that brushed the American top 5 a year later.
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
Looking too cute and cuddly for words, here's Peter Noone on
Top Of The Pops singing-- "Ain't That Just A Little Bit Better!"
"Just A Little Bit Better" - Herman's Hermits
(Sept.Oct. 1965, highest chart pos. #7 Hot 100/#8 Cash Box,
live performance on Top Of The Pops)
To complete our double play, I've got another request, this one from an English
lady named Vanessa Kensington. It's another high charting Herman's Hermits
cover - a song written by Brill Building greats Gerry Goffin and Carole King
and first waxed by Earl-Jean, a member of the U.S. girl group The Cookies.
Earl-Jean's version reached the top 40 in the summer of 1964.
The Herman's Hermits single, which charted that fall, topped
the UK chart and made a run at the top 5 on the U.S. Cash Box.
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
Here again is baby-faced Brit Herman aka Peter Noone fronting
his band of Hermits, performing- "I'm Into Something Good!"
"I'm Into Something Good" - Herman's Hermits
(Nov./Dec. 1964, highest chart pos. #7 Cash Box,
#13 Hot 100/#7 Canada/#1 UK)
Please joins us when we return with the official launch of our new show
DOUBLE DOWN
with Mikaela & Emily
It's another Shady's Place exclusive on S-P-M-M
Retrosonic Radio... the station with personality.
Claire Brown
I'm Dr. Claire Brown from the hit TV series The Good Doctor
and one of the presenters on the S-P-M-M radio show
The Good Doctors:
Music Is Medicine.
For my first spin of the year, I've got Pepsi And Shirlie, an English
pop duo formed in the mid 80s. The pair first found fame as backing
singers and dancers for Wham!... the famous act comprised of
George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley. In September, 1987,
Pepsi And Shirlie appeared on the London-based music
television show Top Of The Pops and performed
their debut single and biggest hit.
It's a song about a common ailment that's hard to treat,
but one that goes away on its own over time. Here are
Pepsi And Shirlie to tell us all about-- "Heartache!"
"Heartache" - Pepsi And Shirlie
(Aug./Sept. 1987, highest chart pos. #78 Hot 100/#83 Cash Box,
#2 U.S. Dance/#2 UK & Switzerland & Netherlands & Belgium,
performance on Sept. 12, 1987, ep. of Top Of The Pops)
Rondo
I'm Rondo, Meg Griffin's handsome heartthrob of a boyfriend on
Meg Griffin's Frantic Romantic.
In the summer of 1965, former Mickey Mouse Club Mouseketeer
Annette Funicello and Walt Disney Studios regular Tommy Kirk
lit up the big screen in Disney's family comedy The Monkey's Uncle.
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
The movie's catchy theme song was performed by Annette backed by The Beach Boys!
"The Monkey's Uncle" - Annette with The Beach Boys
(from Aug. 1965 Walt Disney motion picture The Monkey's Uncle)
"Sarah"
Hello again! As you recall from my previous appearances here
at Shady's Place, I'm Sarah, star of the 2019 horror movie Mary.
In my story, Mary is the name of a boat my husband just had to buy.
He then proceeded to hound me and our young daughters to go
with him on a maiden voyage to the islands. I'll never forget
the goofy song he sang trying to coax us into making the trip.
Aruba, Jamaica, ooh, I wanna take you
to Bermuda, Bahama, come on pretty mama
Key Largo, Montego, Baby, why don't we go?
To make a long story short, that shakedown cruise shook us up,
and that maiden voyage was more like an iron maiden voyage.
As it turned out, Mary is haunted by a sea witch who drowned
when she was forced by sailors to walk the plank.
So that's my sad story, but on a happier note, I am your
Hostess With the Mostest on the S-P-M-M radio show
Along Comes
Mary.
I play songs that refer to boats and ships and sailing, along with songs
that fall into the Yacht Rock category - a term used to describe soft,
light rock - breezy, bouncy tunes that leave you feeling happy.
Safe to say that my nautical nifties are guaranteed
to leave you feeling Mary.
Since I was here last time, I've been harboring a great example of
Yacht Rock, saving it for this special occasion, my first play of 2024.
It's an earworm by Robbie Dupree that was accused of being a
rip-off of "What A Fool Believes," the hit by Michael McDonald
and The Doobie Brothers. Listen to the ditty and see if you agree.
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
Released in March of 1980, Robbie's song sailed to #2 in Canada and reached
the top 5 in the U.S. that summer. Here now is Robbie Dupree appearing on
The Midnight Special and performing the biggest hit of his career, "Steal Away!"
"Steal Away" (In/Out Mix) - Robbie Dupree (June/July 1980,
highest chart pos. #5 Cash Box/#6 Hot 100/#2 Canada,
#5 Easy Listening, performance on Sept. 5, 1980,
episode of The Midnight Special)
Beth Boland
(... not Joan from Mad Men)
Hi, there! As you remember, I'm Beth Boland...
star of the TV crime comedy-drama Good Girls and
host of the Shady's Place - S-P-M-M radio series
BETH BOLAND'S
ADRENALINE RUSH
ADRENALINE RUSH
Earlier in the show, Good Doctor Claire Brown introduced
Pepsi And Shirley. The English pop duo is back to play us off
and bring our new year spectacular to a close with another
fun dance-pop ditty, the kind I love to play on
ADRENALINE RUSH
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
Pepsi And Shirlie sing "Goodbye Stranger" and I say hello 2024!
Now for Sarah, Rondo, Nia, Claire, Ron and Meg, this is
Beth saying bye-bye and have a great year!
"Goodbye Stranger" - Pepsi And Shirlie
(July/Aug. 1987, highest chart pos. #5 Ireland,
#5 Switzerland/#8 Belgium/#9 UK)
STOP THE PRESSES!
HOLD THE PHONE!
I WANNA PLAY A SONG, TOO!
I'm Zogg, Paul Yung's drug-induced gremlin hallucination on the hit Netflix
series Obliterated, the rip-snorting action genre parody that Ava and Lana
told you about at the top of the show. Before you leave Shady's Place,
you must experience what might be the greatest rock cover of all-
time performed by a band from the Ken Tamplin Vocal Academy.
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!
Electrifying lead zinger Gabbi Gun is backed by musicians Rudy Sarzo,
Alex Skolnick, Ken Mary and Gary Schutt as they do maximum
justice to the Whitesnake classic-- "Still Of The Night!"
"Still Of The Night" - Whitesnake cover by Gabbi Gun, Rudy Sarzo,
Alex Skolnick, Ken Mary and Gary Schutt of the Ken Tamplin
Vocal Academy (January 2024)
Happy New Year 2024
"The Year of the Dell Rat"
from the Pryor Family
and all your friends on
The Shady Bunch!
