Geator Gold - Vol. 4: Trickle Trickle Tear Drops!

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

 GEATOR GOLD 

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

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

(COLD SHOW OPEN)

"He's Got The Power" - The Exciters

(Mar./Apr. 1963, highest chart pos. #57 Hot 100,

#64 Cash Box, Scopitone film release)

Greetings and salutations! I am The Geator

with The Heater. I am The Boss with the

Big Hot Sauce, welcoming you to another

fantastic, bombastic edition of Geator Gold

here on S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio. I've got

a parade of platters from the past and our

7-in-a-row block party has just begun.

You just saw and heard Brenda Reid,

the little lady with the powerful pipes,

singing lead for her mixed gender group
The Exciters on "He's Got The Power,"

a record that climbed halfway up the

pop chart in the spring of 1963 and

oddly failed to register at all on

the R&B chart. Now let's jump

back in time to the early 50s. 

Fiction and Fact from the Geator's Almanac: In 1952 a man by the name

of Ronald Cuffey was lead singer of The Five Sharps, the now legendary

doo-wop group from Queens, NY. The Five Sharps recorded the song

"Stormy Weather" on the Jubilee label. That 78 rpm single is so rare

that it is known as the Holy Grail of doo-wop 78's, coveted by

collectors as one of the most valuable records in the world.

In 2003, a used copy of "Stormy Weather" sold for
$19,000. The value of that Five Sharps platter shot

to $25,000 a few years later. It is not even known

if an original exists on 45 rpm. If one is ever

found it would be worth many times more.

Fast forward to the summer of 1958 when Ronald Cuffey was
singing lead with a new group called The Videos. Their first
record  got plenty of radio exposure in New York but did not
reach the national chart. The Videos now with-- "Trickle, Trickle!

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

"Trickle, Trickle" - The Videos (July 1958)

You're jumpin' and jitterbuggin' with

The Geator With The Heater, charter

member of The Shady Bunch, and

this is Geator Gold on S-P-M-M

Retrosonic Radio, where all the

cool oldies come to play. 

You just heard a Geator golden gasser
by The Videos, their 1958 regional hit
"Trickle, Trickle." In January, 1959,
The Videos released a follow-up to
that jump tempo debut single. It's
a lot different, a dreamy ballad
entitled-- "Love Or Infatuation."

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

"Love Or Infatuation" - The Videos (Jan. 1959)

The Videos of Queens, New York, with their second single, "Love Or Infatuation."

Sadly, before the guys could put out another record, Ronald Cuffey died along
with another member of the group, bass man Ron Woodhall. Their deaths
put an end to this great doo-wop act, The Videos.

Don't touch that dial, because The Geator's
spinning another dreamy romantic ballad
for lovers only. This record was waxed in
1958 by one of Philly's Phinest groups,
Lee Andrews & The Hearts. I want you

to take your teen queen or teen king by
the hand, lead them to the dance floor
and sway to this snuggle song... a
doo-wop treasure-- "Teardrops."

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

"Teardrops" aka "Tear Drops" - Lee Andrews And The Hearts

(Jan. 1958, highest chart pos. #4 R&B/#20 Hot 100/#25 Cash Box)

A mellow sound from the early weeks of 1958, Lee Andrews
and the Hearts with "Teardrops," a record that reached
the top 5 on the R&B chart and top 20 pop.

If you're just tuning in, I'm The Geator,

Jerry Blavat, and we're right smack dab

in the middle of a 7 in a row commercial

 free cruise on S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio.

The name of the show is Geator Gold...

 and I've got another classic nugget for

you right here and now. A one track

mind is the gist of a song that was

the second biggest hit of Motown

soul legend Marvin Gaye's 60s career.

Released in 1969, the single cracked

the top 5 on the Hot 100 and was

perched at #1 on the R&B chart

for six consecutive weeks. Here's

 Marvin joined in the recording studio

by The Andantes, Motown's in-house

group of female session singers, with 

one of the greatest Motown sounds--

 "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby!"

 "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" - Marvin Gaye 

 (June 1969, highest chart pos. #1 R&B/#4 Hot 100/#5 Cash Box) 

You got The Geator in your ear, and I'm
spinning Geator Gold on S-P-M-M..,
where we go hunting for the great songs
of the past and bring 'em back alive.

The Geator's on a roll with one

old gold nugget after another. 

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

Here now is the very first single
released by the Motown group
best known for their major hit
"Do You Love Me." Dig the
throaty sax and raw vocals
as The Contours sing--

"Whole Lotta Woman!"

"Whole Lotta Woman" - The Contours

(Feb./Mar. 1961, uncharted)

The first version of that catchy tune was

released regionally, and you just heard the

second version which was released nationally.

The Contours there with their first, and some

say their best single, "Whole Lotta Woman,"

an uncharted relic from early 1961 that

reminds me of the late 50s R&B hits

"Short Fat Fannie" and "Itchy

Twitchy Feeling." 

And as all good things

must come to an end,

so too must my show.

Thanks for tuning in.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Stay tuned. Coming up on the B side of news, it's Shady Seaweed with another

hip trip to Bandstands in Foreign Lands, and I'll be back soon with another

batch of boss beats and ballads on Geator Gold. Now this is Jerry Blavat,

The Geator with the Heater, reminding you to keep on rockin' 'cause

you only rock once! Hey, gimme a big strong line and let's do it

one last time as I play us off with Martha And The Vandellas

doing their first big hit. Baby, it's cold outside, but inside

 we're havin' a "Heatwave." Bye ya-ll!

"Heatwave" - Martha And The Vandellas

(Aug./Sept. 1963, highest chart pos. #1 R&B/#4 Hot 100 & Cash Box)