Debbie the Dellette Meets The Rat Pack - Vol. 1: Lookin' For My Baby in the Basement!

(below) "Hey, get up and ask Helen

to make me a cherry coke to go."

"It's time for us to

split the snack bar

and meet up with

Debbie the Dellette

and the Rat Pack

down in the dance hall."

"Little Did I Know" - The Ducanes

{June/July 1961, B side of "I'm So Happy (Tra La La)"} 

Kicking off our jukebox hit parade with the super sound of early 60s doo-wop,

the summer of 1961 to be exact, that was "Little Did I Know" by the one hit

wonder group The Ducanes from Bergenfield, New Jersey. Released on

the B side of "I'm So Happy (Tra La La)," a single that Bubbled Under

the Hot 100 and peaked at #109, the dreamy, romantic vocal group

ballad "Little Did I Know" is exactly the kind of record that the

gang loved to play down in "the Barn" at the Shady Dell in

the late 50s and early 60s when I was a regular face

in the crowd (and queen of the dance floor). 

Hi! I'm Debbie

the Dellette!

As you know, I'm "The Hostess with the

Mostest" and president of the Old York -

Shady Dell chapter of the Top Hit

Club of America. I am here today

to introduce a few friends of mine.

Together we will play more of the

Shady Dell's greatest hits. This isn't

a radio show. We will be taking turns

dropping our coins into the slot and

playing the Dell's jukebox. Now,

I'd like you to meet four of my

pals from The Rat Pack aka

The Rodentia Intelligentsia.

THE RAT PACK

(LEFT to RIGHT)

JULIE

PETE

LINDA

DOUG

Whenever we get together, The Rat Pack will play their Dell faves,

records popular at the Dell in the mid to late 60s. I'll play a song

or two from the years I went to the Dell in the late 50s and

early 60s, like that Ducanes number you just heard.

Rat Packer Julie has taken her position at the

jukebox and is picking her first Dell song.

JULIE: Deb, I wish that you had still

been going to the Dell in the mid 60s

when The Emperors ruled. The funky

R&B band from Harrisburg featured

the late, great Edgar Moore on lead

vocals. In 1966 The Emperors had

a minor hit with "Karate" which was

covered in 1971 by Carlos Santana,

released as "Everybody's Everything,"

and became a top 10 hit on Cash Box.

The Emperors released four singles in

all, but none of the others charted.

It was a different story here at the

Dell where six of their sides were

played often and ranked high on

Shady Del Knight's list of the

200 Greatest Hits of the Dell.

I just pressed H-7 to play the

song I wanna hear. It's #65 on

Shady's survey. The Emperors--

"Lookin' For My Baby!"

DELL SONG #65

"Lookin' For My Baby" - The Emperors
(May/June 1967)

PETE: My turn, Julie. Blue-eyed soul

and white R&B were also very popular

genres at the Dell in the 60s. One of

my favorite songs in that category was

waxed by R&B rocker Mitch Ryder and

his band The Detroit Wheels. They do a

cover of "Little Latin Lupe Lu," a song

written by Bill Medley and first recorded

by The Righteous Brothers, a minor hit

for the duo in 1963. I just pushed G-9

to play the exciting 1966 update by

Mitch and the Wheels. It's the most

successful version of the song and

is ranked #132 on Shady's list of

The Greatest Hits of the Dell!

DELL SONG #132

"Little Latin Lupe Lu" - Mitch Ryder And The Detroit Wheels

 (Mar./Apr. 1966, highest chart pos. #16 Cash Box/#17 Hot 100)

LINDA: Sunshine pop was also hot

in the Shady during the 60s, and this

cool genre group, The Buckinghams,

infused their recordings with blue-

eyed soul. The Chicago horn band

is on record as one of the top selling

acts of 1967, and I'm selecting P-5

and playing one of their hits from

that year. It's the Bucks' cover of

a jazz song recorded the previous

year by jazz sax great Cannonball

Adderley. I can hear the needle

dropping on the vinyl. Here are

The Buckinghams with the song

ranked #125 on Shady's 200--

"Mercy, Mercy, Mercy!"

DELL SONG #125

"Mercy Mercy Mercy" - The Buckinghams

(July/Aug. 1967, highest chart pos. #5 Hot 100 & Cash Box)

DOUG: Hey guys, don't forget about me.
I'd like to play a record, too. At the Dell
in the mid 60s, The Motown Sound was
huge, and these guys, the Four Tops,
were heavy hitters down here in
"the barn," with no fewer than 11
of their songs making Shady's
Top 200 list. I'm pressing R-17
because I can't wait to get out
on the floor and dance to the
highest ranked Tops song
on Shady's list. Landing
at position #60, here is--
"Shake Me, Wake Me

(When It's Over)!"

DELL SONG #60

"Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over)" - Four Tops

(Mar./Apr. '66, highest cht. pos. #5 R&B/#15 Cash Box/#18 Hot 100)

JULIE: Step aside, Dougy, because I've

got another great song in mind, one that

represents another major music category

at the Shady Dell - The British Invasion.

"A Groovy Kind Of Love" was penned

by American songwriters Toni Wine and

Carole Bayer Sager. The song was given

to The Mindbenders, the English group

that originally backed Wayne Fontana.

When Fontana left the act, guitarist

Eric Stewart took over on lead vocals.

The Mindbenders' version of "Groovy

Kind Of Love" reached #2 on both

sides of the pond, denied the top spot

on the U.S. Hot 100 by Percy Sledge's

hit "When A Man Loves a Woman."

"Groovy" did manage to reach #1

on Cash Box. I just punched in J-13

to play one of the most popular slow

dance records of the mid 60s at the

Dell. At #57 on the Shady survey,

"A Groovy Kind Of Love!"

DELL SONG #57

"A Groovy Kind Of Love" - The Mindbenders

(May/June 1966, highest chart pos. #1 Cash Box/#2 Hot 100)

PETE: Earlier, Doug played an exciting

dance number by the Motown boy group

the Four Tops. Now here's a mellow soul

sound from a great Motown girl group,

Martha And The Vandellas. I'm hitting

K-1 to play their top 3 charting R&B
single "My Baby Loves Me," the song
ranked #146 on Shady's list of the
200 Greatest Hits of the Dell!

DELL SONG #146

"My Baby Loves Me" - Martha And The Vandellas

(Feb./Mar. 1966, highest chart pos.
#3 R&B/#22 Hot 100/#23 Cash Box)

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

I hope you enjoyed our first meet-up,

a bash in the barn... the Shady Dell

dance hall... down here where all the

cool kids hang out and party hearty.

Stay tuned because we'll be back

soon to feed the jukebox and

spin more Dell gold. Now for

The Rat Pack - Julie, Pete,

Linda and Doug - I'm Debbie

the Dellette, "Your Hostess

with the Mostest,"

saying so long!

"In The Basement - Pt. 1" - Etta James And Sugar Pie DeSanto

(Aug./Sept. 1966, highest chart pos. #37 R&B)

Debbie the Dellette 5 years later

MERRY

CHRISTMAS!

The Rat Pack is Back!

The jukebox in the

Shady Dell's dance hall

was filled with the greatest, most danceworthy

records to be found anywhere. At the Dell, you

heard sounds that you didn't hear anyplace else.

The mix of music that played nightly at the Dell

was consistently better than the stuff I heard on

the radio. In the mid 60s the Dell's music menu

included soul coming out of Detroit, Chicago,

New York and Philadelphia, blue-eyed soul,

southern R&B from Memphis, British Beat,

garage rock, psychedelic rock, folk-rock
and doo-wop classics from the 50s

that remained Jukebox Giants.

Shady Dell regulars, the gang I refer to

as The Rodentia Intelligentsia, prided

themselves on having radar for cool.

Year after year they discovered and

popularized songs that radio stations

overlooked. Records that lingered

near the bottom of the Billboard

chart or missed it entirely became

cherished classics at the Dell.

Forgotten flips were elevated

to mega-hit status by Dell rats

unfettered by the limitations

of radio play lists.

Today I'd like you to meet four teenagers - imaginary members
of the 60s Rat Pack. They represent my gang of friends,
the Dell rats, kids like me who made the Shady Dell
their home away from home.

THE RAT PACK

(LEFT to RIGHT)

JULIE

PETE

LINDA

DOUG

Yes, The Rat Pack is back, and they are here today to play the authentic sounds

we loved to listen and dance to at the Dell in the 60s. The old jukebox is hungry

for coins and the Rat Packers are eager to get dancing, so let the music play!

 SAM AND DAVE 

JULIE: I like Stax/Memphis R&B, and my

first pick is J-6... soul men Sam and Dave

aka "Double Dynamite," "The Sultans of

Sweat" and "The Dynamic Duo." They've

got the song ranked #32 on Shady's list of

The 200 Greatest Hits of The Shady Dell,

the follow-up to their big hit "Hold On!

I'm A Comin'".. a Stax sizzler called--

"Said I Wasn't Gonna Tell Nobody!"

DELL SONG #32

 "Said I Wasn't Gonna Tell Nobody" - Sam And Dave 
 (Oct./Nov. 1966, highest chart pos. #8 R&B, 

 #64 Hot 100/#81 Cash Box) 

 THE 

 ISLEY BROS. 

JULIE: I also love Motown, and while
I'm in control of the box, I'm punching

E-3, the song ranked #17 on the Dell

Hits survey. It's The Isley Bros. with

the single reeleased on the heels of

their Tamla label hit "This Old

Heart Of Mine (Is Weak For You)."

I like this one as much, maybe more

- "Take Some Time Out For Love!"

DELL SONG #17

 "Take Some Time Out For Love" - The Isley Brothers 
 (June 1966, highest chart pos. #66 Hot 100/#72 Cash Box) 

 JR. WALKER 

 AND THE 

 ALL STARS 

PETE: I want mo Motown, mo Motown,

mo Motown, and that's why I'm pressing

K-13... the song holding the #46 spot on

the Dell Top 200. It's singer and sax man

Jr. Walker and his All Stars with another

great sound from '66...  a song written

by Holland–Dozier–Holland. Check

it out-- "(I'm A) Road Runner!"

DELL SONG #46

 "(I'm A) Road Runner" - Jr. Walker And The All Stars 

 (May/June 1966, highest chart pos. #4 R&B, 
 #20 Hot 100/#21 Cash Box) 

 THE 

 MAGNIFICENT 

 MEN 

LINDA: I dropped my coin into the slot

and pushed B-7 because I want to hear

something by our hometown heroes,

The Magnificent Men, with members

from York and Harrisburg. This song

was released in January, 1967, as the

killer bee on the back side of the blue-

eyed soul band's Dell megahit "Stormy

Weather." This cool tune is called--

"Much Much More Of Your Love"

SHADY DELL "KILLER BEE"

 "Much Much More Of Your Love" - The Magnificent Men 
 (Jan. 1967, B side of "Stormy Weather") 

 THE 

 EMPERORS 

LINDA: I'm hogging the jukebox

a while longer and pressing V-2,

because I wanna spin a hot

record by another popular

local act - The Emperors,

the garage/funk band from

 Harrisburg. It's another fab

flip side - #62 on the Dell

Hits survey, The Emperors'

cookin' cover of "Searchin'"

- the 1957 chart-topper

by The Coasters.

DELL SONG #62

 "Searchin'" - The Emperors 

 (May 1967, B side of "Lookin' For My Baby") 

 ERIC BURDON 

 & THE ANIMALS 

DOUG: The Animals are hotter at the

Dell than The Beatles and The Stones.

That's why I pressed H-12... #53 on

the Dell's Top Tunes survey... Eric

Burdon's semi-autobiographical

counterculture song, a smash hit

in Australia and big in the U.S.

and UK -- "When I Was Young!"

DELL SONG #53

 "When I Was Young" - Eric Burdon & The Animals 

 (Apr./May 1967, highest chart pos. #15 Hot 100/#19 Cash Box) 

 MITCH RYDER 

 AND THE 

 DETROIT 

 WHEELS 

PETE: Here's another cool sound... G-4,

Mitch Ryder And the Detroit Wheels at

#88 on The Greatest Hits of the Dell list

with a medley covering two hits from

1957 - Little Richard's "Jenny, Jenny"

and the Chuck Willis song "C.C. Rider."

Here's Mitch with-- "Jenny Take A Ride!"

DELL SONG #88

 "Jenny Take A Ride!" - Mitch Ryder And The Detroit Wheels 
 (Jan. 1966, highest chart pos. #10 Hot 100, #18 Cash Box) 

Great news - this was only a preview!

Shady Del Knight has given us

the green light to host our own

series starting next year!

So please join us
again in 2021 as
we gather around
the jukebox in the
dance hall and play
more Greatest Hits
of The Shady Dell.

See you then!

Dell Rat Tom's Jukebox Giants - Volume 1: Hold On!

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 for

 DELL RAT TOM'S 
 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)

"This Old Heart Of Mine" - The Isley Brothers

(Mar. 1966, highest chart pos. #12 Hot 100/#6 R&B)

The Isleys starting us off with a monster hit from my

Shady Dell years, "This Old Heart Of Mine," ranked #20 on
my exclusive survey of The 200 Greatest Hits of the Shady Dell.

Hello and welcome to Jukebox Giants!
I'm your host Dell Rat Tom...

an alumnus of the famous and infamous Shady Dell hangout for teenagers
located on the south side of York, Pennsylvania. I am thrilled to be here
and proud to be a member of "The Shady Bunch," the DJ staff on the
all new S-P-M-M radio. On Jukebox Giants I will play the greatest
hits of the Shady Dell, the songs I came to know and love in the
mid and late 60s, the span of years during which I regularly
attended the Dell. Some of these records will be familiar
because they were national hits. Others will be new to
you because they are "Dell songs" - forgotten B sides
and records made by little known artists. Many of
these obscure recordings were elevated to mega-hit
status by the Rodentia Intelligentsia - the Dell rat gang -
the fastidious young men and women who knew the latest
dances and "voted" for danceworthy records by dropping
their dimes and quarters into the slot and playing them
on the jukebox. As you will hear on today's show
and future blogcasts, those kids were savvy.
They had radar for cool.

Without a doubt, the Central Pennsylvania blue-eyed

soul band The Magnificent Men were the #1 act at the

Shady Dell, and you are about to hear one of their best

recordings, a version of a popular French song written

by Charles Trenet. Translated into English, the title asks

"What Remains of Our  Love?" For American listeners

the words were rewritten by composer and lyricist

Albert Beach and the the title of the song became

"I Wish You Love." 

The song was introduced in the U.S. in 1957 by Keely Smith,

the Grammy Award winning singer who died at the end of last

year at age 89. Early in 1964 jazz singer Gloria Lynne reached

the top 30 on the R&B chart with a version of the song. Now

let's listen to a cover that's an absolute killer. In my opinion

this is Buddy King's finest vocal performance among many.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Here they are - Buddy, Dave Bupp and the Mag Men-- "I Wish You Love."

"I Wish You Love" - The Magnificent Men

(from 1967 album The Magnificent Men)

The Magnificent Men there with a great version of "I Wish You Love."

In the Dell popularity sweepstakes, this next act wasn't

far behind the Mag Men. They're The Emperors, another

hot band from the Susquehanna Valley, Harrisburg to

be exact. These cool cats laid down a wailin' pound

of sound, a mix of garage funk, R&B and Soul. Their

first single, "Karate," released in December 1966,

was their biggest hit. "Karate" reached the top 30

on the national R&B chart, chopped through

almost half the rungs on the pop ladder

and was a regional smash. 

"Karate" played on the Dell jukebox several times every night

through the Christmas season of '66 and the early months of '67.

In 1971 Carlos Santana waxed a cover of "Karate" using the

same melody with different lyrics. Santana's single,

"Everybody's Everything," brushed the top 10.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Dell rats know that the Emperors original is still the greatest.
Here they are, The Emperors of Harrisburg, with a record
that ruled at the Shady Dell-- "Karate!"

"Karate" - The Emperor's (Dec. 1966, Jan. 1967,

highest chart pos. #55 Hot 100/#30 R&B)

The Emperors with "Karate," #25 on my survey of

The Shady Dell's Greatest Hits of the mid 60s.

Hey, if you're just tuning in, I'm Dell Rat Tom and you're

listening to Jukebox Giants on S-P-M-M radio. Speaking

of giants of the jukebox, The Temptations were another

group of towering titans at the Dell, and I've got one of

their best. Written by Smokey Robinson and Pete Moore

of the Miracles and produced by Smokey, this mid-tempo

Motown sound has it all - strong lyrics that resonate,

sweet soul harmony and tasteful orchestration.

CLICK TO START VIDEO!

This one was hot on the jukebox when I first arrived at the Dell as a

15 year old newbie. Here they are, The Temptations, with one of the

smoothest soul songs ever recorded. At #71 on the Shady Dell
hit parade-- "Since I Lost My Baby."

"Since I Lost My Baby" - The Temptations

(Aug./Sept. 1965, highest chart pos. #17 Hot 100)

Motown's top male group, The Temptations, with another

Jukebox Giant - the mellow favorite "Since I Lost My Baby."

Up next is a top 40 hit by The Strangeloves...

the fake Australian band created by New York

record producers Feldman, Goldstein and

Gottehrer, the guys best known for their hit

"I Want Candy." Although it wasn't as big as

"Candy" nationally, my next featured single

was a regional hit, one that I like more for

two reasons, first because I played drums

and dug the big beat sound, and second

because of the song's theme and lyrics.

 My buddies and I made up our own set of naughty words and sang

them whenever the record played at the Dell or across the hill at

Bud's Drive-In, another popular hangout for teens.

CLICK TO START VIDEO!

Here now is one of the coolest and sassiest sounds of the Sixties--

F-G-G aka The Strangeloves and-- "Cara-Lin."

"Cara-Lin" - The Strangeloves

(Sept. 1965, highest chart pos. #39 Hot 100)

That was "Cara Lin" - #84 on my list of The 200 Greatest Hits of The Shady Dell,

and this is Dell Rat Tom with Jukebox Giants here on S-P-M-M Radio,

where all the cool oldies go to play.

Now here's a memory maker from Shady Dell The College

Years, the four year period when I was out of town atten-

ding an institute of high and yearning. It's Detroit soul

man Edwin Starr with what I call a killer bee (killer B)

 - the fab flip side of his 1968 single "I Am The Man

For You Baby." This 45 is an example of a "double-

sider" or a "two-fer" because you get two great

songs for the price of one. Dell rats always

checked out the B sides of records for

hidden gold and many Dell hits

were born that way.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

This side features the dramatic pounding of "war" drums.

From the spring of '68, Edwin Starr-- "My Weakness Is You."

"My Weakness Is You" - Edwin Starr

(May 1968, uncharted B side of

"I Am The Man For You Baby"

which Bubbled Under at #112)

Edwin Starr and "My Weakness Is You," a fab flip side

popular at the Dell during my freshman year at college.

Gosh, time's up for this edition of Jukebox Giants. Thanks for tuning in.
I invite you to join me next time for more of the Shady Dell's greatest hits
on S-P-M-M - the station that's number one for music and fun.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Now this is Dell Rat Tom reminding you to make
every day a holiday and every night a Shady Dell night.

Hold on, it's Sam & Dave with Dell song #15. Bye bye!

"Hold On! I'm A Comin'" - Sam And Dave

(May, June, July 1966, highest chart pos.
#21 Hot 100, #1 R&B)