New Year's Rockin' Eve in the Shady 2021: Rock, Roll and Remember Dick Clark & the Teen Dancers on Bandstand!

 HI, I'M SHADY SEAWEED 

 "AMERICA'S OLDEST LIVING TODDLER" 

 WELCOMING 

 YOU TO THE 

 59th ANNUAL 

 NEW YEAR'S 
 ROCKIN' EVE 

 IN THE SHADY! 

The wrecking ball in Shady Square is about to drop, signalling the end of
the year 2021. As we look ahead to the coming year, let's view the past
with 20-20 hindsight as we go back to the glory years of Dick Clark's
long running music program American Bandstand. Tonight the spot-
light is not on the songs or artists who performed on the show, not
even on Dick Clark. Instead I ask that you focus your attention

on the teenagers who danced on Bandstand over the years.

Assuming that you don't have time to watch every video

from start to finish, I cued each one to the spot where,

in my opinion, the best dance sequence begins.

 RETURN WITH US NOW TO 
 THE GOLDEN YEARS OF BANDSTAND. 

Observe the young studio dancers of the 1960s,
their body language, clothing styles and hairdos.
Note their attitude, how they conducted
themselves on the program.

 THE CRYSTALS 

The Crystals song "Da Doo Ron Ron" was written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich

and Phil Spector. Like "yada yada yada" on Seinfeld, the words "Da Doo Ron Ron"

were merely nonsense syllables used to fill gaps in the song until "real" lyrics

could be inserted. However Spector decided he liked the gibberish and

it was left in the song. The result was a top 3 hit for his girl group.

On January 4, 1964, when the following episode aired, American Bandstand

was still broadcasting from Philadelphia. In this clip, you will see the most

popular members of Bandstand's cast of studio dancers performing an

unusual move they invented, a maneuver that's too cool for school.

Watch as they repeatedly bump together in a stylish East Coast

variation of the Lindy Hop, a dance style that did not

follow the show out to the West Coast that year.

"Da Doo Ron Ron (When He Walked Me Home)" - The Crystals

(May/June 1963, highest chart pos. #3 Hot 100/#4 Cash Box,

#5 R&B, dancers on Jan. 4, 1964, ep. of American Bandstand)

 TIM TAM & THE TURN-ONS 

The gang of regulars on the West Coast version of Bandstand had their own

dance styles. In this clip in particular, the dancing is very impressive because
the gang gets down, gets into it, and does a more energetic workout than
usual. Watch the moves as the kids groove to "Wait A Minute," a minor

hit by the Detroit area rock 'n' roll band Tim Tam And The Turn-Ons.

"Wait A Minute" - Tim Tam and the Turn-Ons

(Mar. 1966, highest chart pos. #76 Hot 100,
dancers on Feb. 12, 1966 ep. of Bandstand)

 THE SUPREMES 

(SHEBANG!)

Now here is a glimpse of another LA-based music show for teenagers.

Shebang, hosted by disc jockey and radio personality Casey Kasem,

aired from 1965 to 1968 on KTLA channel 5. In this rare video,

Kasem and the studio dancers, some of them regulars on

American Bandstand, celebrate the show's one year

anniversary. You will see Jewel Akens, the man

who had a hit with "The Birds And The Bees,"

autographing the Shebang banner, and a

blonde dancer at the 6:50 mark who

looks a lot like Goldie Hawn!

"Stop! In The Name Of Love" - The Supremes

(Mar./Apr. 1965, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100

& Cash Box/#2 R&B, dancers on Mar. 16, 1966,

one year anniversary ep. of TV series Shebang)

 THE BOX TOPS 

Clothing and hair styles and dance steps changed considerably
as the early 60s yielded to the mid and late 60s. Notice how

the Bandstanders looked and danced in the fall of 1967.

"The Letter" - The Box Tops

(Sept./Oct. 1967, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box,

dancers on Oct. 21, 1967 ep. of American Bandstand)

 THE 5TH DIMENSION 

I grew up knowing "Go Where You Wanna Go" only as the 1965 song written

by John Phillips, recorded by The Mamas & The Papas and released as a single

and as a track on their 1966 debut studio album If You Can Believe Your Eyes

and Ears. Until recently I wasn't aware of the cover by The 5th Dimension

released in 1967 on their debut studio album Up, Up and Away. Watch

what the Bandstand studio dancers do with the song.

"Go Where You Wanna Go" - The 5th Dimension

(Feb./Mar. 1967, highest chart pos. #16 Hot 100 & Cash Box,

dancers on Feb. 4, 1967 Ep. of American Bandstand)

 SPENCER DAVIS GROUP 

More great dancing out on the West Coast can be witnessed in this

clip from an episode in early 1967 as the Bandstand teens do their

thing to "Gimme Some Lovin', a top 5 hit for the English rock band

The Spencer Davis Group featuring Steve Winwood on lead vocals.

"Gimme Some Lovin'" - Spencer Davis Group

(Feb./Mar. 1967, highest chart pos. #5 Cash Box/#7 Hot 100,
dancers on Feb. 4, 1967 ep. of American Bandstand)

 BOBBY VINTON 

To close the show, a song and video that mark a pivotal point in time for

several reasons. It is one of the first episodes of American Bandstand

to be taped after the assassination of President Kennedy. It is one of

the last Bandstand shows to be taped in Philadelphia before the show

moved to LA. It also represents a moment when the pop music scene

was about to change radically and permanently.  The song you are

about to hear, a sweet romantic 50s style ballad by pop crooner

Bobby Vinton, reached #1 on the chart the first week of 1964.

By the time this episode of Bandstand aired one week later on

January 11th, Bobby's ballad had been replaced at the top of the

chart by the rowdy and allegedly dirty ditty "Louie Louie" by the

garage rock band The Kingsment, and "I Want To Hold Your Hand"

by an English combo named The Beatles made it's first appearance

on the U.S. chart. Starting two weeks later and for the next 16 weeks,

The Beatles topped the U.S. chart with their refreshingly new and

different sounding recordings. The era of rock bands had begun,

rendering American teen idols obsolete. The times, they were

a changin'. There, I've said it again.

"There! I've Said It Again" - Bobby Vinton

(Dec. 1963/Jan. 1964, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box,
dancers on Jan. 11, 1964 ep. of American Bandstand)

Can it be that it was all so simple then

Or has time rewritten every line?

If we had the chance to do it all again

Tell me, would we? Could we?

Submitted for your approval - exhibits A through G - seven scenes of
young people having good clean fun... unbridled joy... fresh faced
exuberance. Simply put - it was great to be alive in the 60s!
If you ever wondered why Boomers say they wouldn't
trade places with kids of any other generation, the
magic moments on these videos are all
the evidence you'll ever need.

 If I could turn back time 

 If I could find a way... 

 HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

Get Morganized with Robert W. Morgan, Vol. 2: Two Pizzas of Advice, Don't Talk To Strangers and Just Treat Her Right!

BOOTH ANNOUNCER GARY OWENS:

...and the cow was returned to its rightful owner.

And that's the latest from S-P-M-M news...
fast, up-to-the-minute, completely fake
and proud of it. Now stand by to

  GET MORGANIZED  
 WITH  

 Robert W. Morgan 

on the station that's #1 for music and fun - S-P-M-M!

PIGGYBACK COLD OPEN:
CLICK TO PLAY FIRST VIDEO
AND IMMEDIATELY CLICK
TO PLAY SECOND VIDEO!

"409" - Beach Boys

(Oct. 1962, highest chart position

#76 Hot 100, B side of "Surfin' Safari")

 ZAP! YOU'RE  MORGANIZED!  

Smoking the tires and peeling off the

starting line, The Beach Boys getting

your motor running with "409," the

charting B side of their first big

hit-- "Surfin' Safari."

Good Morgan, Boss Angeles...

and good Morgan to you wherever you are!

I'm Robert W. Morgan, one of the boss jocks

at 93 KHJ, the much more music station in

Los Angeles, moonlighting as a member of

The Shady Bunch here on sister station

S-P-M-M. I'm on a mission to get you

Morganized by playing the greatest

sounds of the sensational 60s.

Speaking of surfin'... this next duo rose to fame alongside the Beach Boys.

Like Brian Wilson's group, they had a string of hits in the surf rock and

hot rod categories and you're about to hear one of those exciting sounds.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

It's the title song from the film that starred Fabian, Tab Hunter, Shelley

Fabares and Barbara Eden. Jan And Dean-- "Ride The Wild Surf!"

"Ride The Wild Surf" - Jane And Dean

(Oct. 1964, highest chart pos. #16 Hot 100/#23 Cash Box,

from Aug. 1964 film Ride The Wild Surf)

Robert W. in the Morgan, and that was "Ride The Wild Surf," the title song from

the beachy keen surfing film released in the summer of 1964. The song was written

by Jan Berry, Brian Wilson and Roger Christian and performed by Jan and Dean.

Wild Surf has been called the best Hollywood surf movie of the 1960s. Unlike

typical beach movies that have goofy characters and are played for laughs...

Ride The Wild Surf takes an honest, sincere approach to the sport of surfing.

CLICK TO START VIDEO NOW!

Some say The Beau Brummels were America's first folk-rock band.

In 1965 the Frisco group went on Hullabaloo and performed their

latest single, and here it is now-- "Don't Talk To Strangers!" 

"Don't Talk To Strangers" - The Beau Brummels

(Nov. 1965, highest chart pos. #52 Hot 100/#53 Cash Box,

perf. on Sept. 27, 1965, ep. of Hullabaloo) 

Those were The Beau Brummels doing one of their classic songs

"Don't Talk To Strangers," a great sound that never even made

the top 50, because the band's label, Autumn Records, was

going belly up at the time of the single's release. 

If you're just tuning in, you're getting

Morganized with me, Robert W. Morgan

of KHJ Boss Angels, on loan to S-P-M-M

Retrosonic Radio here at Shady's Place.

While you're fightin' the freeway, I'm ridin' the

radio, and we're in the middle of a 7-in a row

commercial free cruise. If you're following

my simulcast on YouTube, check this out.

START THE VIDEO NOW!

From the Boss 30, here are Phil Spector's

Crystals appearing on Dick Clark's

Where The Action Is doing their

chart-topping crossover hit--

"He's A Rebel!"

"He's A Rebel" - The Crystals

(Oct./Nov. 1962, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100, #2 Cash Box,

#2 R&B, perf. on Aug. 6, 1965 ep. of Where The Action Is)

From a 1965 episode of Where The Action Is, that was Phil Spector's
girl group The Crystals joined by The Action Kids dance troupe
as they performed "He's A Rebel," a record that shot to
number one on the pop chart in the summer of 1962.

Robert W. Morgan here on KHJ LA

with simulcasts on YouTube and

on S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio,

home of The Shady Bunch.

Burnin' up the Boss lines at KHJ

Bossangeles and wherever you

happen to be, the next sound

you will hear is a genuine

monster unleashed during

the endless summer of '65. 

CLICK TO START

VIDEO NOW! 

Here they are, America's coolest couple,

Sonny and Cher, doing their signature

song-- "I Got You Babe." 

"I Got You Babe" - Sonny And Cher

(July/Aug. 1965, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box,

performance on Top Of The Pops) 

You just witnessed Chastity's mom and pop on Top Of The Pops -

Sonny And Cher doing their chart-topping signature song

"I Got You Babe" on a Bandstand in a Foreign Land. 

Let's keep the needle in that same groove. Robert W's got a

double dose of dynamite from that exciting summer of 1965. 

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

It's McGuinn and the guys, The Byrds, on Hollywood A Go-Go...

with the sound that launched them into the stratosphere--

"Mr. Tambourine Man!"

"Mr Tambourine Man" - The Byrds

(June/July 1965, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box,

perf. on July 17, 1965 ep. of Hollywood A Go-Go)

Burnin' up the boss lines on KHJ Boss Angeles and coast-to-coast on

our sister station S-P-M-M, The Byrds with their chart topper from

the summer of '65... "Mr. Tambourine Man," the Bob Dylan song

released earlier that year on the album Bringing It All Back Home.

 ZAP! YOU'RE MORGANIZED!  

Well gang, I need to take my marbles and go home because

Shady says time's up. I hope you enjoyed this second edition

of Get Morganized with yours truly, Robert W. Morgan.

START THE VIDEO NOW!

Stay tuned Coming up on the flip side of

Gary Owens' news, it's Nancy Wheeler,

that spunky little lady from Stranger

Things, with the debut of her new

show No More Mr. Nice Girl...

 and I'll be back before you know it

with another batch of boss goldens to

get you Morganized, so keep it here

on S-P-M-M, your #1 station for a

rock 'n' roll nation. To play us off,

here's blue-eyed soul man Roy Head

with his top 3 charting hit from the fall

 of 1965-- "Treat Her Right." Now

this is Robert W. Morgan saying

goodbye and stay cool!

"Treat Her Right" - Roy Head And The Traits

(Oct. 1965, highest chart pos. #2 Hot 100 and R&B,

#3 Cash Box, perf. on Oct. 9, 1965, ep. of Hollywood A Go-Go)

Echoes of the Spectorian Era - Vol. 15: The Weekend's Just Getting Started... but Sunday's Already Here!

 Welcome to vol. 15 of my series 

 Echoes of the Spectorian Era 

 featuring the greatest recordings 

 produced by Phil Spector and those 

 who imitated his Wall-of-Sound style. 

 THE CRYSTALS 

First let's hear from Phil Spector's uptown girls The Crystals. Produced by Spector

from clear across the country in LA, the New York based Crystals were one of the

principal girl groups of the early to mid 60s. Barbara Ann Alston, 2nd from right in

the picture above, was a founding member and original lead singer of The Crystals.

Barbara died last year at age 74. Barbara sang lead on the Spectorian classic you

are about to hear. It's The Crystals' second single, "Uptown," the 1962 follow-up

to "There's No Other (Like My Baby)." "Uptown" was written by Cynthia Weil
and Barry Mann and originally intended for fellow New Yorker Tony Orlando
who, at the time, was three years into his career. Spector coaxed Weil and
Mann into giving him the song. Spector then proceeded to doctor the ditty,
changing notes to bring the song within the vocal range of The Crystals.
He also changed some of the lyrics about slum life and class issues
to give the song an African American perspective instead of a
Latin American POV. "Uptown" reached the top 15 on
Billboard and top 10 on Cash Box, making it
the second hit single for The Crystals.

 "Uptown" - The Crystals 

 (May/June 1962, highest chart pos. 

 #10 Cash Box/#13 Hot 100/#18 R&B) 

 JOSEPHINE SUNDAY 

It's Friday - T.G.I.F. - and I've got Sunday

on my mind - Josephine Sunday!

Here to sing a song that was racy by
mid 60s standards is 18 year old Sunday

Heppner, stage name Josephine Sunday.
In 1966, the perky songstress appeared
on American Bandstand to promote her
latest single which became the biggest
hit of her career, even though it failed
to reach the national chart. The song
was also recorded by a girl group
called The Starlets. With those
Spectorian castanets clacking,
miss Josephine sent a message
to every guy with a girlfriend:
Spend Saturday night with
Sunday and... come Monday...
"You Won't Even Know Her Name."

 "You Won't Even Know Her Name" - Josephine Sunday 
 (Apr. 1966, uncharted) 

 THE CINDERELLAS 

Up next, The Cinderellas, an R&B girl group that drew its lead singer,
Margaret Ross, from The Cookies. In the spring of 1964 The Cinderellas
released "Baby, Baby (I Still Love You)." With the Beatles and other
British Invasion bands dominating the pop chart, The Cinderellas'
hopes for a hit were merely a fairy tale. "Baby, Baby" charted
only one week near the bottom of the Bubbling Under
dungeon before vanishing into thin air.

 "Baby, Baby (I Still Love You)" - The Cinderellas 
 (May 1964, highest chart pos. #134) 

 ALDER RAY 

Alder Ray's voice can be heard on some of the finest West Coast pop
recordings of the 60s. The soulful thrush performed as a session singer,
a member of various girl groups and as a solo recording artist.

In 1964, Alder Ray released "Cause I Love Him," a solo single recorded
at Gold Star with The Blossoms supplying background vocals and the
L.A. Wrecking Crew providing the orchestral backing track.

 "Cause I Love Him" - Alder Ray 

 (Aug. 1964, uncharted) 

 LINDA SCOTT 

Linda Scott is best known as a cast regular on
Dick Clark's Where The Action Is and for her
first hit "I've Told Every Little Star" which
reached the top 5 on the pop chart in the
spring of 1961. Some folks don't realize
that Linda made other great recordings
before the Beatles showed up to spoil
the party. However my Pick to Click,

the record I consider the best of
Linda's career, is different from
the others. It's Spectoresque,
and was released post-
Beatles in 1965.

It's a cool cover of "You Baby," the song
written for The Ronettes by Barry Mann,
Cynthia Weil and Phil Spector, recorded
by the popular girl group and released in
the fall of '64 on their album, Presenting

the Fabulous Ronettes Feat. Veronica.
Released as a single a year later, Linda's
exciting version for Kapp Records copied
the lush Wall of Sound production style
of the original. It's a doggone shame a
record this good failed to make the chart.

Heck, it never even Bubbled Under!

 "You Baby" - Linda Scott  

 (Dec. 1965, uncharted) 

 THE 

 WALKER 

 BROS. 

The Walker Brothers often imitated
the Spectorian production and vocal
style of The Righteous Brothers.
Here's a great example, a smooth,
dynamic cover of "Make It Easy
On Yourself," a Burt Bacharach -
Hal David song first made into
a hit by Jerry Butler in 1962.

 "Make It Easy On Yourself" - The Walker Brothers 

 (Sept. 1965, highest chart pos. #16) 

 VIKKI 

 CARR 

El Paso born Vikki Carr achieved her
greatest success singing in Spanish

but, in the fall of 1967, the thrush
reached the top 3 on the pop chart
and #1 on the Easy Listening survey
with a Spectorian English language

version of a French song. Here now
is Vikki Carr with her biggest
pop hit-- "It Must Be Him!"

 "It Must Be Him" - Vikki Carr 

 Oct./Nov. '67, highest chart pos. 
 #3 Hot 100/#1 Easy Listening) 

 I hope you enjoyed vol. 15 of Echoes. 
 More echo-drenched classics are coming 
 your way in vol. 16, so stick around! 

Have a Shady day!