Helen & John Week: April Love in January

Two important dates on

the Shady Dell calendar
are only one week apart:

Helen Ettline's birthday

(January 9) and the date

of John Ettline's death

(January 16).

Again this year I am combining
the two events into a single post
that honors both of the Ettlines.

Just think of this period in mid
January as "Helen & John Week."

 HELEN TROSTLE ETTLINE 

was born 112 years ago
on January 9, 1911.

 JOHN ETTLINE 

died January 16, 1993...
30 years ago...

John spent the last nine years

of his life without Helen. Imagine

the strength and courage it took

for John, a man in his 80s, to go it 

alone, enduring the hardships of

winter and keeping the Dell in

operation even as the teenage

patrons became increasingly

rough, rowdy and disrespectful.

How many of us could have

stood up to that challenge?

This year as we celebrate Helen's birthday and remember John,
I will play records I think they both would have enjoyed.

Every evening Helen was stationed behind the counter of the
Shady Dell snack bar preparing treats to feed the masses.

As Helen worked, a steady stream of doo-wop songs

played on the jukebox. It was a busy, noisy place,

but the old school sounds cut through the clutter

and delighted Helen and her young customers. 

 GARNET MIMMS 

 & THE ENCHANTERS 

The snack bar was Helen's domain, and that's where you could typically find her.

It was very unusual for her to poke her head into "the barn" dance hall. In fact,

in my six years as a Dell rat, I recall Helen coming down to the barn only once.

She happened to walk through the door as a Garnet Mimms song was playing

on the jukebox.  I remember the big smile on Helen's face as she listened to the

ballad and watched couples slow dance to it.  With that happy memory in mind,

I picked three Garnet Mimms ballads to play for Helen on this special occasion.

Born in West Virginia, raised in Philadelphia and steeped in soul,

Garnet Mimms recorded ballads that were loved by Shady Dell

rat packers. In early 1964, at the start of Beatlemania, Mimms'

gospel roots were showing when he released the churchified

"Anytime You Want Me" on the B side of "Tell Me Baby." 

 "Anytime You Want Me" - Garnet Mimms 

 (Feb./Mar. 1964, B side of "Tell Me Baby")  

My soul serenade for Helen continues now with both songs

found on a single that Garnet Mimms recorded with

Charles Boyer and Zola Pearnell  using the group

name Garnet Mimms And The Enchanters.

Released during Halloween season 1963, this is a "twofer" - two top 30

hits on the same 45 rpm record. The A side, "For Your Precious Love"

is a cover of the 1958 hit by Jerry Butler & The Impressions.  

 "For Your Precious Love" - Garnet Mimms And The Enchanters 

 (Dec. 1963/Jan '64, highest cht. pos. #26 Hot 100 & R&B/#34 Cash Box) 

Finally, you'll swear you're sitting in church listening to the choir

as you experience the B side of the platter, a gospel-drenched

Garnet Mimms ballad entitled "Baby Don't You Weep." 

 "Baby Don't You Weep" - Garnet Mimms And The Enchanters 

 (Dec. 1963/Jan. 1964, highest chart pos. #30 Hot 100 & R&B, 

 #40 Cash Box, B side of "For Your Precious Love") 

Now here are three records I think John would like.

 APRIL STEVENS 

John was known as a sharp dressed man,

a man's man and a ladies' man. With that

in mind, I present the lovely April Stevens,

best known for her recordings as a duo with

brother Nino Tempo. Early in her career,

April appeared in Snader Telescriptions -

film versions of popular and classical

music performances produced for

television from 1950 to 1952. Singers,

dancers, orchestras, and novelty acts

appeared in Snader musical productions.

In this first one, April performs the song

"Tricks Of The Trade," the B side of her

1952 RCA Victor single "Put Me In Your

Pocket." An edited version of this Snader

Telescription was shown on the television

series The Frank Fontaine Show.

 

 "The Tricks Of The Trade" - April Stevens  

 (1952, B side of "Put Me In Your Pocket," 

 1952 perf. in Snader Telescription film) 

Now here's April appearing in another

Snader Telescription and performing

another B side. April sings "Meant

To Tell You," the fab flip of her

1952 single "I Love The Way

You're Breaking My Heart." 

 "Meant To Tell You" 

 - April Stevens 

 (1952, B side of 

 "I Love The Way 

 You're Breaking My 

 Heart," 1952 Snader 

 Telescription film ) 

Finally, here's the popular song

"Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?)"

aka "Lover Man," written in 1941 for

Billie Holiday. Billie's version was

inducted into the Grammy Hall

of Fame in 1989. Watch and listen

as adorable April Stevens does her

version of "Lover Man" in a third

made for TV Snader Telescription. 

 "Lover Man" - April Stevens 

 (1952 performance in 

 Snader Telescription film) 

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY, 

 HELEN! 

 WE LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU. 

John, you were the King of all Dell Rats.

If we have anything to say about it, you
and Helen will always be remembered.

We love you and miss you, too!

The Good Girls, Robert W. Morgan & Dr. Don Rose Join Hepcat Black as the Newest Members of "The Bunch"!

GOOD GIRLS

GO TO HEAVEN.

BAD GIRLS GO EVERYWHERE.

 THESE GOOD GIRLS 

 REVOLT! 

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 meet
six more new members of

 THE SHADY BUNCH 

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

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

(COLD SHOW OPEN)

"A Quiet Place" - Garnet Mimms And The Enchanters

(July/Aug. 1964, highest chart pos. #78 Hot 100 & R&B/#89 Cash Box)

"Lady lady lady... why do you holler? Ain't nobody seen your Johnny Dollar!"

From the summer of '64, that was a fab uptown soul classic by my main man,

the sensational Garnet Mimms along with The Enchanters-- "A Quiet Place."

Hello & happy new year! Yours truly Hyski, Hy Lit,
The South Philadelphia Kid... The Potentate of the
Keystone State... welcoming you to part 2 of our
New Year's Spectacular on S-P-M-M Retrosonic
Radio where all the cool oldies come to play.
We're kicking off 2020 in a big big way by
introducing a total of 8, count 'em - EIGHT
new boss jocks down here at the plant.

Time for you to meet one of them now.
He's a cool kitty and that's a fact, Jack.
Here's my buddy, my pal... my feral

feline friend-- Hepcat Black!

Hey hey, thank you, Hy Lit...
and happy 2020, everybody!

I'm Hepcat Black... I got the knack...

and my new show's called Pink Cadillac!

I'm here to prove that old school is cool. I'll be playing rockabilly, psychobilly,

outlaw country, 50s rock & roll and the best of the modern rock & roll revival.

Here's a smooth operator who needs no

introduction, but I'm gonna introduce him

anyway. He's a tavelin' man, a teen age idol

from lonesome town. He's Ricky Nelson...

and this week in 1958 his latest single was

climbing the chart on its way to the top 20.

It's the song on the B side of his smash hit

"Stood Up." Ricky's record follows the

same story line as "School Day," a

Chuck Berry hit the previous year.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Our boy Ricky's startin' to feel like a poor little fool,
'cause it's late and he's sick and tired of-- "Waitin' In School!"

"Waitin' In School" - Ricky Nelson

(Jan./Feb. 1958, highest chart pos. #6 Cash Box,
#18 Hot 100, B side of "Stood Up")

From the early weeks of 1958, Ricky Nelson

is "Waitin' In School" for the dang bell to ring,

a song written by Johnny and Dorsey Burnette. 

Now here are three pretty little ladies recruited by

Shady as new members of his Shady Bunch deejay

crew. They're the stars of Good Girls Revolt, an

Amazon Video TV series that's been called the

female version of Mad Men. Let's give a warm

welcome to Patti Robinson, Cindy Reston and

Jane Hollander! Take it away Good Girls!

Thank you Hepcat Black, and hello everyone!

My name is Patti. I'm a go-getter. I believe in

free love, partying hard and shaking up the

establishment. Jane, Cindy and I welcome

this opportunity to take our rightful places

alongside The Shady Bunch men and prove

ourselves as radio announcers. Our show is

called Libbin' It Up With The Good Girls

featuring the great sounds of the mid to late

60s, the revolutionary period in music and
pop culture that produced the fabled
Summer of Love and Woodstock.

Scottish folk rocker Donovan is responsible for some of the grooviest
sounds of the era. Donovan wrote the song "Hurdy Gurdy Man" in India
where he was studying Transcendental Meditation with the Beatles.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Released as a single in the spring of 1968, "Hurdy Gurdy Man" reached
the top 5 on both sides of the Atlantic. Singing one of his greatest and most
memorable songs of love, here now is Donovan with-- "Hurdy Gurdy Man!"

"Hurdy Gurdy Man" - Donovan

(July/Aug. 1968, highest chart pos.
#3 Cash Box/#5 Hot 100)

Hi, I'm Cindy, pleased to meet you. I am polite,
soft-spoken and mild-mannered, but I am also
a newly empowered woman who has finally
gained confidence and found her voice at
 the microphone here on S-P-M-M Radio.

Sunshine pop, the feel good music of the
mid to late 60s, is one of the categories
you can expect us to play on our show
Libbin' It Up. One of the most popular bands of the genre started out as a
California surf-rock group
called The Crossfires.

START VIDEO NOW!

They found success when they changed their name to The Turtles and
switched to folk-rock and psychedelic pop. Here's their biggest hit,
a record that bumped the Beatles "Penny Lane" from the top
of the chart in 1967. The Turtles-- "Happy Together!"

"Happy Together" - The Turtles

(Mar./Apr. 1967, highest chart pos.
#1 Hot 100 & Cash Box)

I'm Jane, a society girl turned serious career woman

as a member of The Shady Bunch here at S-P-M-M

Radio. I'm sick & tired of being nothing more than

eye candy, a trophy on a man's arm. I know I've

got what it takes to be a great DJ. I promise I

won't let you (or myself) down. One of the

most distinctive sounds on the radio at the

end of 1969 was a song written and first

 recorded by Laura Nyro. The song became

a hit for the soulful LA-based rock trio

Three Dog Night. A favorite tune of high

school marching bands in the decades

that followed, here's 3-Dog's

top 10 single-- "Eli's Comin'."

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

"Eli's Coming" - Three Dog Night

(Nov/Dec. 1969, highest chart pos. #8 Cash Box/#10 Hot 100)

That's all from us for now.

Please joins us for Libbin' it Up with The Good Girls, our first full show

coming soon to S-P-M-M Radio. Now here's one of the boss jocks
at one of the most popular radio stations on the west coast or
anywhere else in the country for that matter. Here he is,
from Boss Radio 93 KHJ-- Robert W. Morgan!

Thank you Good Girls Patti, Cindy and Jane,
and good Morgan to you! I'm Robert W. Morgan
here on loan from KHJ Boss Angeles, moon-
lighting on S-P-M-M as a new member of
The Shady Bunch. I'm on a mission to
Morganize you by playing the greatest
AM radio hits of the 60s with a focus
on the laid back, fun-in-the-sun

sounds of Southern California.

START VIDEO NOW!

No one does it better than The Beach Boys.
This song reached the top 10 during the holiday
season in '64 and was still going strong at
the start of  '65-- "Dance, Dance, Dance!"

"Dance, Dance, Dance" - The Beach Boys

(Nov./Dec. 1964, highest chart pos. #8 Hot 100/#10 Cash Box)

From Christmas 1964, The Beach Boys there with "Dance, Dance, Dance,"

a single that needed to plow through a log jam of British invasion records

to crack the top 10 on the national chart. In early March of '65 the

song was released on the album The Beach Boys Today!

That does it for me. Now here's my good friend, a guy who does his

thing on the east coast while I am doing my thing on the west coast.

He's the pride of "Quixie in Dixie" - WQXI, Atlanta-- Dr. Don Rose!

Thank you, Robert W. Heavens to Betsy...

you got me Morganized after just one song!

Dr. Donald D. Rosey good morning to you,

folks! This Rose is tickled pink to be part

of The Shady Bunch here on S-P-M-M...

the station that's #1 for music and fun.

I'm sitting at the mic with my pet cow

Lulu-Belle (MOOOOO!) Like my buddy

Robert W., I'll be bringing you the cream

of the crop, the best 60s music on your

AM dial. Try this one on for size. It's

lovely Lesley Gore with a song from

her late 1963 album Lesley Gore

Sings of Mixed-Up Hearts.

CLICK TO START VIDEO NOW!

As a single it climbed the chart during the Christmas season

of '63 and landed in the top 5. Give lovely Lesley's lilting

lament a listen-- "She's A Fool!"

"She's A Fool" - Lesley Gore

(Nov./Dec. 1963, highest chart pos. #5 Hot 100/#6 Cash Box)

S-P-M-M Radio by way of "Quixie in Dixie" - that was Lesley Gore with

"She's A Fool." That'll do it for me, Dr. D, and Lulu-Belle (MOOOOO!)

To wrap up our New Year spectacular, here's a guy who's nobody's fool.

He's that fugitive from the Shady Dell still searching for the one armed

man who stole his youth, the host of Jukebox Giants-- Dell Rat Tom!

Thank you very much, Dr. Don Rose! I remember you

on WFIL in Philadelphia and on TV as the host of

Speed Racer and other cartoon shows on WKBS

channel 44. It's great having you as a new member

of The Shady Bunch. I'm looking forward to your

first show here on S-P-M-M... the station with

personality.  My first spin of the new year is

too cool for school, a seldom heard alternate

version of the song ranked #68 on my list

of The 200 Greatest Hits of the Shady Dell.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Retrosonic Radio in Futuresonic Stereo Surround - Michigan
garage rockers Question Mark and the Mysterians with their
chart-topper, a number everybody knows-- "96 Tears!"

“96 Tears” (alternate stereo version)
(?) Question Mark & the Mysterians

(Sept./Oct. 1966, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box)

A super cool alternative version of "96 Tears"
in stereo here on S-P-M-M... where all the cool
oldies come to play. That does it for our 2-part
New Year's Spectacular. Now for Hy Lit, Hepcat
Black, The Good Girls - Patti, Cindy and Jane -
Robert W. Morgan, Dr. Don Rose and the entire
Shady Bunch deejay staff, I'm Dell Rat Tom.
Thanks for being here, and once again...

 HAPPY 

 NEW YEAR!