2022 - Year of the Dell Rat, Part 1: Crazy Little Thing Called Love!

 CAN SHADY DEL KNIGHT KEEP YOU 
 ENTERTAINED IN THE COMING YEAR? 

 DOES 

 CHRIS GRIFFIN 

 REACT POORLY 

 TO BAD NEWS? 

 WELCOME BACK, DEAR FRIEND! 

 AND 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 Music & Memories.
This year I am excited to launch eight
new S-P-M-M radio shows hosted by
engaging TV and radio personalities.
You met them all last year in sneak
previews, and they're back in this
special two-part post to help me
kick-off 2022. Today, in part one,
you will meet the first four new
members of The Shady Bunch,
so let's get right to it.

Lo & behold, two of your favorite Shady's Place regulars,

Brian and Chris Griffin from Family Guy, are back,

along with my first special guest, their sister Meg.

Meg was overjoyed when I slipped her a note in class

and invited her to join The Shady Bunch DJ team.

Santa was good to Meg this year, and my job offer was the icing on the cake. 

Meg's social media accounts blew-up when word spread that she
had been chosen to become the latest celeb radio personality on SPMM.

Without further ado, please

join me in welcoming this

delightful young woman

back to Shady's Place.

Ladies and gentlemen -

Meg Griffin!

Thank you very much, Shady,
and happy new year, everyone!

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

I am beyond excited that Shady picked

me to host my very own radio show.
I've decided to call it Meg Griffin's
Frantic Romantic. I'll be playing the
greatest love songs of your lifetime

including somebody done somebody
wrong songs and wistful ditties like
this one by ABBA. Goodbye '21,
hello '22 and-- "Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year" - ABBA

(from Nov. 1980 album Super Trouper)

That was the Swede sound of ABBA

and "Happy New Year," featuring

"Aggie" (Agnetha Fältskog) on

lead vocal. Penned & produced

by Benny and Björn, the song

was released in the fall of 1980

on ABBA's Super Trouper album.

It's time for me to hand over the mic

to another new Shady Bunch deejay.

Before I go, I'd like  to invite you to

join me later this year for my show

Meg Griffin's Frantic Romantic

 here on S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio. 

Now welcome back America's sweetheart.

You know her as Adrian Monk's smart,

savvy and sometimes sassy assistant,

and she's also my great new friend--

Natalie Teeger!

Thank you so much, Meg, and happy new year

to one and all! My new show on S-P-M-M is

called Natalie Teeger's Array of Sunshine.

As the name suggests, I will be bringing

my sunny disposition to the airwaves and

brightening your day with the groovy sounds

of sunshine pop and light rock. For example,

did you know that The Critters derived their

name from The Animals? As the summer of

'66 was getting underway, these Jersey boys

landed their first single on the chart with a

version of a song written by John Sebastian.

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

Here are The Critters with a record that brushed the top 20
on Cash Box and got them noticed-- "Younger Girl."

"Younger Girl" - The Critters

(June/July 1966, highest chart pos. #21 Cash Box/#42 Hot 100)

You just heard "Younger Girl," the first single by The Critters,
one that revealed their hit potential as sunshine poppers.
Oddly, while the platter performed well on Cash Box,
it failed to reach the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Later that year the group followed-up with "Mr. Dieingly Sad"
which cracked the top 20 on Billboard and top 15 on Cash Box.

"Mr. Dieingly Sad" - The Critters

(Sept./Oct. 1966, highest chart pos. #14 Cash Box/#17 Hot 100)

That's all I have for now. Please join me
this year for the official debut of my show

Natalie Teeger's Array of Sunshine
on S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio!

Now here's one of the charismatic stars of the

Netflix science fiction drama Sense8. She's the

San Francisco-based trans woman hacktivist

and blogger you first met at Riley's Raves

on the old blog, SDMM, and she's back

this year with her own radio show.

Please welcome-- Nomi Marks!

Thank you, Natalie... and happy 2022 to all my
friends and followers out there in S-P-M-M land!
Just a friendly reminder -- whatever you do,
don't call me Michael. I am delighted that
Shady Del Knight has given me this
amazing opportunity to co-host a radio
show along with my BFF Nia Nal from
Supergirl. Our show, Transitive Verve,
celebrates diversity in music, a mix

of styles by artists old and new...
everything from 80s new wave
to modern pop and rock.

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

On our show, you'll meet exciting young entertainers from around the

world, like up-and-coming Romanian stars Andrei Cerbu and Beatrice

Florea. Here they are with-- "Crazy Little Thing Called Love!"

"Crazy Little Thing Called Love" - Queen cover

by Andrei Cerbu & Beatrice Florea (Sept. 2019)

Hi, I'm Nomi's radio co-host Nia Nal,
and that was the fabulous Romanian
duo of guitarist Andrei Cerbu and
 singer Beatrice Florea covering
Queen in fine fashion doing the
Freddy Mercury song "Crazy

Little Thing Called Love." As
that exciting performance
illustrates, people of all kinds
across America and around
the world share a bond. We
have something in common -
this thing called love, a love

of good music. With that in mind,
I invite you to join Nomi and me
for Transitive Verve, making its
official debut this year on S-P-M-M.

Now it gives me great pleasure to introduce Shady's last special guest of the day,
WMEX Boston top 40 radio legend Arnie "Woo Woo" Ginsburg, back from
Beantown to start moonlighting as a Shady Bunch personality
this year on S-P-M-M. Take it away, Arnie!

Thank you, Nia Nal, and happy new year

to all my top 40 teens in the listening audience.

Your friend The Woo Woo is here for you-you,

Old Aching Adenoids, Arnie Ginsburg, back

on the air to bring you another sampling of

my famous Night Train Show coming to

you in '22 on S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio.

I'll be spinning the great sounds of doo-

wop, pop and rock & roll, records that

were hot in New England and across

the USA in the pre-Beatles years,

the late 50s through early 60s.

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

Here's one now, ripped from the Wimmex Tunedex. It's Beantown's
own Freddy "Boom Boom" Cannon taking us along for a day
of fun and teen romance down at-- "Palisades Park!"

"Palisades Park" - Freddy Cannon

(June 1962, highest chart pos. #3 Hot 100 & Cash Box)

Penned by Gong Show host Chuck Barris and

sung by Freddy Cannon, that was a rock & roll

tribute to New Jersey's Palisades Amusement

Park. Can you believe that great song was the

designated B side of a single? What were the

guys in suits thinking? When a deejay played

the song by mistake, it took off and went

top 3 in the spring of 1962, becoming

the biggest hit of Freddy's career.

Gee, that does it for Part 1 of our new year
spectacular. Stay tuned for Part 2 coming up

next Wednesday, the 5th of January, when
you'll meet four more new members of

The Shady Bunch deejay staff.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

And stick around for more great sounds from Meg Griffin, Nomi & Nia,
Natalie Teeger and me, Arnie Ginsburg, coming your way throughout
2022 on S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio. Remember - while the others
are talkin'...we're rockin'! As Ernie Fields plays us off with
his hit instrumental "In The Mood," this is your buddy
Old Aching Adenoids, Arnie "Woo Woo" Ginsburg,
saying so long and, once again, happy new year!

"In The Mood" - Ernie Field's Orch. aka Ernie Fields Orchestra

(Nov./Dec. 1959, highest chart pos. #4 Hot 100/#7 Cash Box)

 MEET MORE NEW S-P-M-M DEEJAYS 

 IN PART 2 ON WEDNESDAY, JAN. 5! 

How Sarah Got Her Groove Back -Vol. 4: The More Etta... the Betta!

Welcome to vol. 4 of my series

HOW SARAH

GOT HER GROOVE BACK!

NADV 1502031AM1 Sarah Collins. Picture : Adrian Murray (1502031AM1)

Sarah Collins, as you recall, is the mum of two in Yorkshire, England,
who underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor, bounced back to health
and became a sensation on YouTube in recent years with shot-at-home
videos in which she sings covers of Northern Soul favorites.

Sarah also appears at clubs
in England and other parts
of Europe fronting the
Northern Soul band
Keep The Faith.
So inspired am I by
Sarah's touching story
and her soulful singing
that I created this series
to showcase her covers
along with the originals.

 ETTA JAMES 

In this special edition of How Sarah Got Her Groove Back, Sarah sings

covers of three songs made famous by Etta James, the bluesy R&B singer

who recorded dozens of R&B and pop hits in the 1950s, 60s and 70s.

In 1962 Etta James had a top 5 R&B hit with "Something's Got
A Hold On Me," a recording that combines elements of soul, blues
and gospel, with backing singers that sound like a church choir.

 "Something's Got A Hold On Me" - Etta James 

 (Mar./Apr. 1962, highest chart pos. #4 R&B/#37 Hot 100) 

 SARAH COLLINS 

Now here is Sarah Collins with her capable cover

of Etta James' "Something's Got A Hold On Me."

 "Something's Got A Hold On Me" 

 Etta James cover by Sarah Collins 

 ETTA JAMES 

In 1988, Etta James released her 17th studio album Seven Year Itch.

The title of the funk/soul project refers to her comeback after going

some seven years without a recording contract. One of the songs

on Seven Year Itch is the smoldering ballad "Damn Your Eyes."

 "Damn Your Eyes' - Etta James 

 (from 1989 album Seven Year Itch) 

 SARAH COLLINS 

Now here's Sarah doing some sassy soul singing

on her version of Etta's "Damn Your Eyes."

 "Damn Your Eyes" 
 Etta James cover by Sarah Collins 

 ETTA JAMES 

Today "Seven Day Fool" is one of Etta James' best known songs, especially popular

on the UK Northern Soul and Mod scenes. However at the time of its release as a

single in late 1961, "Seven Day Fool" drew very little attention. An R&B record,

"Seven Day Fool" failed to reach the black chart, and it barely made a dent in

the Hot 100, peaking at #95. "Seven Day Fool" performed better on the

Cash Box survey where it finished in the minor hit range at #75.

 "Seven Day Fool" - Etta James 

 (Dec. 1961, highest chart pos. #95 Hot 100/#75 Cash Box) 

 SARAH COLLINS 

Now once again, Sarah Collins channels the late,

great Etta James, doing "Seven Day Fool."

 "Seven Day Fool" 
 Etta James cover by Sarah Collins 

 EMMA EVELINE 

I have two bonus tracks for you! First I am proud to present my most recent

discovery, Emma Eveline, a singer and actress in The Netherlands. Please watch

her brief one minute cover of Etta James' "Something’s Got A Hold On Me."

 "Something’s Got A Hold On Me" 

 Etta James cover by Emma Eveline 

 (Apr. 2020) 

 ANDREI CERBU & 

 BEATRICE FLOREA 

Last but not least, here is bonus song #2, another version of Etta James'

"Something's Got A Hold On Me" just released this week by the exciting

Romanian duo of guitarist Andrei Cerbu and zesty singer Beatrice Florea.

 "Something's Got A Hold On Me" 

 Etta James cover by Andrei Cerbu & Beatrice Florea 

 (May 2020) 

I hope you liked the Etta James

originals along with the killer kovers

by my good friend in England

Sarah Collins

... and I hope you enjoyed
meeting Dutch singer

Emma Eveline

and watching the latest performance
by the up-and-coming Romanian duo

Andrei Cerbu & Beatrice Florea.

Have a Shady day!