A to Z Challenge (Alexis to Alice to Astrid to Zoe) : A Walk To Remember (Thanks to Mandy Moore!)

COLD OPEN:

CLICK TO PLAY THE VIDEO NOW!

"(If You) Love Me Just A Little" - La La

(1986 single) 

From Queens, New York, that was singer/songwriter La Forrest 'La La' Cope

with "(If You) Love Me Just A Little," a 1986 dance single that captures

the sound of Rufus And Chaka Khan, the R&B girl group Klymaxx,

the S.O.S. Band, the Minneapolis Sound founded by Prince and

the 80s output of Janet Jackson. La La is credited with writing

the Whitney Houston hit "You Give Good Love," a song

released on Whitney's self-titled 1985 debut album. 

Hello and welcome to a sneak preview

of the A to Z Challenge, a new series

beginning next April here at Shady's

Place. In our version, A to Z stands

for Alexis to Alice To Astrid to Zoe.

We invite you to play along!

I'm Alexis Wright

...the personal assistant to leading man

Michael Holloway on the psychological

thriller Netflix television series Gypsy

that stars Naomi Watts. Joining me

in this April Challenge are three

other up-and-coming starlets

from popular TV shows. 

Rules of the A to Z Challenge:

* Taking turns, players advance through the alphabet from A to Z. Each player

must pick a music artist whose name begins with the corresponding letter and

play a song by that artist. No songs may be repeated in later rounds. 

* Players are awarded 10 points for naming an appropriate artist and playing a song. 

They can pick up bonus points for selecting specific types of songs, such as songs

with numbers in the title, or by picking artists with numbers in their name. There

are other ways to win extra points and they will be explained as we go along.

For example, if I had landed on the letter "L" and played that song by

"La La," I would have been awarded 10 extra points because both

parts of the artist's name begin with "L."

* When a player lands on the letter "Q," "U," "X" or "Z," she may choose to opt out

and play a song with a number in the title or artist's name. If she exercises that option,

she still receives her 10 point credit plus bonus points if multiple numbers are involved.

* 7 songs are played in each round of the game, meaning that three of the players will

get two song picks and two chances to score points, while the 4th contestant gets only

one song pick and one chance to score points. This, of course, is unfair, but remember

that this is only an exhibition round to demonstrate how the game is played.

More players will be joining when the game officially begins next year.

The A to Z Challenge continues now

as I introduce the next player - Alice!

Hi, I'm Alice Charles...

Payton Hobart's girlfriend on the Netflix comedy-drama series The Politician.

In this sneak preview of the A to Z, we're skipping around to various letters

of the alphabet to show you how the game is played and won. Let's say it

was my turn and I landed on the letter "R." I could score 10 points by

picking an "R" name artist, plus 10 bonus points if the song title

contains a number. Here's an example, composer, arranger and

 bandleader Nelson Riddle and his popular instrumental theme

of the early 60s adventure crime drama TV series Route 66

starring Martin Milner and George Maharis.

"Route 66 Theme" - Nelson Riddle

(June thru Aug. 1962, highest chart pos. #30 Hot 100/#40 Cash Box) 

You just heard a cool instrumental that

most Americans of the pre-Beatles 60s

could have identified in two seconds

flat in a game of Name That Tune -

Nelson Riddle's "Route 66 Theme,"

a top 30 hit in the summer of 1962.

By picking a song with a number

in the title by an "R" name artist,

I scored 10 + 10, a total of 20

points on that play. See?

Okay, now it's time for me to toss

to someone I know all too well,

my co-star on The Politician.

She's trouble with a capital

"T" and her name is Astrid. 

I'm Astrid Sloan

...Payton's rival on The Politician

and not exactly Alice's BFF either.

It's a small world after all...

because I also appeared

with Alexis in her TV

series Gypsy. 

Suppose my letter in the A to Z is

"I." I could grab 10 extra points

by choosing Janis Ian and her

mid 70s chart-topping hit

"At Seventeen." 

"At Seventeen" - Janis Ian

(Aug./Sept. 1975, highest

chart pos. #1 Cash Box,

#1 Adult Contemporary,

#3 Hot 100) 

You just watched folksinger and

songwriter Janis Ian perform one of

her signature songs "At Seventeen,"

 a record that topped the Cash Box

and the Adult Contemporary chart

in late summer of 1975. That's

another number song and

20 points for me! 

Now meet the fourth and final

contestant in the Shady's Place

A to Z Challenge. Her name is Zoe. 

I'm Zoe Baker

...Beth Pearson's cousin and Kevin

Pearson's girlfriend on the hit TV

drama series This Is Us. If you

think I look like Alexis Wright

from Gypsy, you aren't the

only one. I get that a lot...

and so does she.😊

Another way of scoring points in

our version of A to Z is by making

a Six Degrees connection. If, for

example, I landed on the letter "M,"

I could score 30 points by playing

a song by Mandy Moore, the star

of my show This Is Us. In this

scene from the 2002 coming-

of-age romantic film A Walk

to Remember, Mandy covers

"Only Hope," a song first

released in 1999 by the

rock band Switchfoot. 

"Only Hope" - Mandy Moore

(scene from Jan. 2002 film A Walk To Remember) 

That was my beautiful co-star

Mandy Moore back in 2002

performing "Only Hope" in 

her hit movie A Walk to

Remember. By playing

that song, I earned 30

points - 20 for the

double "M" in the

artist's name and

10 more for the

Six Degrees

connection.

Now back to my sista

from another mista -

Alexis - who is ready

with her second song. 

Zoe, if it were my turn to tackle

the letter "M"... I could collect

10 bonus points by choosing

Roger Miller's number song

"Engine Engine #9." 

"Engine Engine #9" 

- Roger Miller

(May/June 1965,

highest chart

pos. #7 Hot 100,

#9 Cash Box) 

That was King of the Road Roger Miller

performing one of his other major hits

in the country-pop category "Engine

Engine #9," a top 10 record in the

spring of 1965 and an additional

20 points in the game for me.

Now here again is Alice. 

Alexis, I'm going to play another

countrified classic, a folk song by

"F" artist Tennessee Ernie Ford.

The single hit number one on

the Country chart and crossed

over to top the pop chart from

Thanksgiving 1955 through

the first week of '56. Here

now is Tennessee Ernie

and another number

song-- "Sixteen Tons." 

"Sixteen Tons" - 

Tennessee Ernie Ford

(Nov./Dec. 1955, highest

chart pos. #1 Hot 100 &

Cash Box & Country) 

You just saw and heard country

& Western music star Tennessee

Ernie Ford performing "Sixteen

Tons," his monster crossover hit

single from the holiday season

of 1955. That pick for the letter

"F" earned me 20 more points

in this exhibition round. 

Now here's Astrid with her

second song and the last

play of the game.

Well "F" you, Alice! You can eat my dust,

baby... because I'm going for the glory

with my final artist and song selection.

If it were my turn to do the letter "T,"

I'd pick Tommy Tutone, the California

based power pop/new wave band, and

their 1982 top 5 hit "867-5309/Jenny."

The play is worth 90 points - 20 points

for the double "T" in the artist's name

and 70 more points for the 7 different

spoken/sung numbers in the song title! 

"867-5309/Jenny" - Tommy Tutone

(Apr/May 1982, highest chart pos.

#4 Hot 100/#5 Cash Box,

#1 Mainstream Rock)

In your face bitches...

I just hit a grand slam - a 90 point play for the win!  

  SCOREBOARD 

  ALEXIS:  40 

     ALICE: 40 

 ASTRID: 110 

         ZOE: 20 

Checking the scoreboard at the end of this exhibition round,

we see that Astrid did indeed win by a landslide after playing

that "Holy Grail" number song by Tommy Tutone. Alexis

and Alice finished tied for second with 40 points each and

I wound up with 20 points but only had one chance to play.

That gives you an idea of how our

A to Z Challenge works.  We hope

you enjoyed the songs the players

 picked for this exhibition round.

Stay tuned. When our series

officially begins next year,

three more players will be

joining the game, the gloves

will come off for real, and

we'll all do our best to score

the most points and win.

For Astrid Sloan, Alice Charles

and my look-alike doppelganger

clone Alexis Wright, this is

Zoe Baker saying so long

and see you next April

for the Shady's Place

A to Z Challenge!

Ernest P. Worrell's Rock-A-Billygoat - Vol. 3: Ernest Spins Old Gold That's Solid COLD!

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

 Ernest P. Worrell's 

 Rock-A-Billygoat 

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

PIGGYBACK COLD OPEN:

CLICK TO PLAY FIRST VIDEO.

AT 5 SEC. MARK... START

SECOND VIDEO!

"Let Your Love Flow" - The Bellamy Brothers

(Mar./Apr. 1976, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box)

From West Central Florida, USA, Shady Del Knight's neck of the woods,

those were The Bellamy Brothers, David and Homer, kickin' off their

shoes and kickin' off today's show with the biggest hit of their

career, "Let Your Love Flow," a country crossover

chart-topper in the spring of '76.

Howdy, Vern! This here's your

old buddy Ernest P. Worrell. 

Like a bad penny, I done turned up

again here at Shady's Place.

Hey, Vern... gotta ask - is that a

Nutty Buddy in your pocket...

or are ya just happy to see me?

Hey, I got a dilly for ya, Vern...

Ever hear the one about the farmer's
daughter and the Roto-Rooter man?

Know somethin' Vern, life's full
of tough decisions, like which
drink'll hit the spot when
you're all hot and sweaty
 and wanna wet your whistle.
If you said PBR, then you're
my kinda guy and I'll save

you a stool down at Kenny's.
If you said sparklin' water...

you ain't from around here.

But when it comes to pickin'
a sodie pop to sip when I'm
hangin' on a ladder watchin'
you shingle your roof...
it's old Yeller for me.

That's right, Vern. Meller Yeller sure does hit the spot.

 It quenches your thirst and brings out the
flavor of your chewin' tobacca.

Guess what, Vern? While I'm busy sippin and
 supervisin', I thought you and me could listen to
another stack of grade A tunes. Sound like a plan?

Okay, Vern, my next platter's on the turntable so get ready
to tap your toes and whistle while you work, good buddy!

This is my third show on S-P-M-M

spinnin' the best of early rock & roll,

rock & roll revival, rockabilly, hill-

billy, traditional country, new country,

crossover country, you get the drift.

Seein' as how we're right smack dab

in the dead of winter, today's show

is a Solid Cold edition. Every

platter I'm playin' is served cold

with a cold open aka a cold intro.

Copy that, good buddy?

Ain't none of my beeswax, Vern...

but you look a little rough around

the edges this mornin'... like you

got tangled up with a junkyard dog.

What happened, Vern? Lemme guess.

Wifey caught you with stripper glitter

on your hands? Out all night and

runnin' wild... your woman sittin'

home with a month old child?

Well, I'll be ding, Roger Miller's

got just the thing, a ditty he wrote

just for you, Vern-- "Dang Me!"

"Dang Me" - Roger Miller

(June/July 1964, #1 Country/#7 Hot 100 & Cash Box)

That was bad boy Roger the Dodger

Miller with "Dang Me," a hit novelty

number from the summer of 1964,

#1 on the Country chart. Just 'tween

you and me, Vern, I done my share

of midnight ramblin'... and so have

these red hot hepcats, Gene Vincent

And His Blue Caps. In early 1958,
they made a run at the top 20 with
a platter that's tailor made for a
high school hop. It's called--
"Dance To The Bop!"

"Dance To The Bop" - Gene Vincent And His Blue Caps

(Dec. 1957/Jan. 1958, highest chart pos. #8 R&B/#23 Hot 100,
#36 Cash Box), perf. on Nov. 17, 1957, ep. of The Ed Sullivan Show

Gene Vincent And His Blue Caps with "Dance To The Bop," their last single

to reach the chart in the U.S., a record that made the top 10 on the R&B chart.

If you're watching my simulcast on YouTube, you saw a rare video of Gene

and his group doin' that song on an episode of The Ed Sullivan Show.

If you're just tuning in, I'm your

old buddy and new best friend

Ernest P. Worrell... and we're

 Rockin'-A-Billygoat here on

S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio.

just a reminder, Vern, this is a

Solid Cold edition. Every song's

got a cold open. Up next, I'd like

you to meet a one hit wonder -

a little lady from Virginie who

was dubbed The Female Elvis

Presley. Janis Martin's here

to ask the musical question

-- "Will You Willuum?"

"Will You Willyum" - Janis Martin

(May 1956, highest chart pos. #35 Billboard's Coming Up Strong)

Landing a spot on Billboard's specialty

chart Coming Up Strong in the spring

of 1956, that was rockin' little mama

Janis Martin sounding like Elvis the

Pelvis and, if you ask me, sounding

even more like rockabilly queen

Wanda Jackson.

This Arkansas boy scored 42 hits on the

Country chart in the 70s and 80s. Let's

turn back the clock to his early years

when he was waxin' right good rock-

abilly records but not making much

noise on the chart. It's Narvel Felts

coverin' The Drifters' "Honey Love!"

"Honey Love" - Narvel Felts

(Feb. 1960, highest chart pos. #60 Hot 100)

From early 1960, That was rockabilly singer & guitarist Narvel Felts
doin' his version of "Honey Love," a #1 charting R&B hit for
Clyde McPhatter and The Drifters in 1954. I think young
Narvel sounds a heck of a lot like Clyde on that one.

Ernest P. Worrel of The Shady Bunch
deejay posse keeping you company
on the squawk box, and here's the
crossover country single that was
topping the national chart the day
President John F. Kennedy was
assassinated. It's the duo of
Dale And Grace singin' their
biggest hit and signature song
--"I'm Leavin' It Up To You!"

"I'm Leaving It Up To You" - Dale & Grace

(Oct./Nov. 1963, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box)

He's from Mississip and she's from down in Loozeeana. Sweet harmony there

from a bitter time in American history... the duo of Dale Houston and Grace

Broussard singing "I'm Leavin' It Up To You," the most popular song in

the U.S.A. the day the president died. By the way, that Dale & Grace

biggie is a cover of a song written and originally recorded in 1957

by the rock 'n' roll duo Don And Dewey.

Hey, guess what, Vern?

I'm plumb outta time, dadgummit!

I need to scoot and skedaddle... but stay put. Coming up on

the flip side of Gary Owens' news, it's English rugby mum and

singing sensation Sarah Collins with another edition of her

series How Sarah Got Her Groove Back...  and I'll be

comin' round the moutain in two shakes of a jiffy

with another heapin' helpin' of toe tappin' tunes

 for your bobby sock high school hop, your

hillbilly hayride and your heartland

hoedown. It'll be a hoot!

Until next time, this is your old buddy

Ernest P. Worrell sayin' so long, don't take

any wooden nickels, and don't do anything

I wouldn't do... know what I mean Vern?

CLICK TO START VIDEO NOW!

To play us off, here are them good ole Texas boys

England Dan and John Ford Coley with their chart-topper--

"I'd Really Love To See You Tonight!" See ya later, alligator!

"I'd Really Love To See You Tonight" - England Dan & John Ford Coley

(Aug./Sept. 1976, highest chart pos. #1 Adult Contemporary/#2 Hot 100,

#4 Cash Box, performance on The Midnight Special)

Rose-Colored Glasses with Dr. Don Rose - Volume 1: 2020 Hindsight: A Perfect View of the Past Thru Song!

LISTEN TO THIS BRIEF SEGMENT TO BECOME FAMILIAR WITH DON ROSE'S VOICE:

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

 ROSE-COLORED GLASSES 

 with DR. DON ROSE 

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

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

(COLD SHOW OPEN)

"Ju Ju Hand" - Sam The Sham And The Pharaohs

(Aug./Sept. 1965, highest chart pos. #26 Hot 100/#28 Cash Box) 

I've got a yoka mata huba bakwa Juju Hand

This yoka mata huba bakwa sure is grand

Makes your eyes look red and your tongue turn green

The yoka mata huba bakwa makes you scream 

Shucks, if I were in a restaurant and heard Sam at the next

table yammering that mumbo jumbo... I'd grab the waiter

and say "I'll have what he's having!" (BA-DUM-BUMP) 

In the lead-off spot, boasting about the magical power of his "Ju Ju Hand,"

that was Dallas rock & roller Sam The Sham along with his band of Pharaohs.

They're the wild and crazy guys who scored a top 3 hit with "Wooly Bully."

"Ju Ju Hand," their follow-up single that same year, 1965, didn't do as

well on the chart, just making it into the top 30. 

A Dr. Donald D. Rosey good morning to you! I'm

Dr. Don Rose from Quixie in Dixie, WQXI Atlanta,
along with my pet canary Lulu-Belle (MOOOOO!)
welcoming you to my first official radio show on 
sister station S-P-M-M, the authentic sound of
top 40 radio in the 60s. The songs I play will

make your ears smile, and the videos you'll

watch on my YouTube simulcast will let

you view the past thru Rose-Colored

Glasses and relive the halcyon days

of your youth. By the way, if anybody

knows what the devil a halcyon is,

give me a call. I'm pretty sure a halcyon

is the doodad doohickey gismo that

fits on the end of a whatchamacallit
thingamajig. (BA-DUM-BUMP)

Now let's peer through our Rose-Colored glasses at the fall of 1966.

For nearly three years The Beatles and other Brit bands had been

dominating the chart in the states, but some American artists

survived the onslaught and successfully competed with the

long hairs from across the pond.  Among them were these

cool cats from Boise, Idaho, and later Portland, Oregon.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

As the story goes, patriot Paul Revere shouted "The British are coming!

The British are coming!... but my band  of Raiders can and will fight back

against the Invasion." That they did. 1966 was The Raiders breakthrough

year - 5 hit singles in a row - and I've got one of them on my turntable.

Here they are, the clown princes of pop rock, singing the red, white

and blues about another problem-- "The Great Airplane Strike!"

"The Great Airplane Strike" - Paul Revere And The Raiders

(Oct./Nov. 1966, highest chart pos. #17 Cash Box/#20 Hot 100)

Just what the doctor ordered - a feel good

ditty from Paul Revere & The Raiders, a

terminal tirade about "The Great Airplane

Strike," a top 20 hit for the band in 1966.

CLICK TO START

THE VIDEO NOW!

This fella's full name is Billy Joe Thomas

and he keeps nagging me to pay back the

$50 I borrowed. Bobbie Gentry wrote a

song about it --- "Owed To Billy Joe."

(MOOOOO!) Here's B.J. Thomas and his 

chandelier song - "Hooked On A Ceiling!"

"Hooked On A Feeling" - B.J. Thomas

(Dec. 1968/Jan. 1969, highest chart pos. #5 Hot 100 & Cash Box)

The sound of the electric sitar allows Boomers to name that tune in 2 seconds flat.
A top 5 hit across the land at Christmas 1968 and on into the winter of '69, that

was B.J. Thomas and "Hooked On A Feeling," a song covered five years later

by the Swedish rock band Blue Swede, the guys who added the creepy chant
 "Ooga-Chaka-Ooga-Ooga" to the song. "Ooga-Chaka-Ooga-Ooga" is the
sound I make in the bathroom after eating my wife's pot roast.
(BA-DUM-BUMP)

Dr. Donald D. Rose reminding you that

an apple a day keeps the doctor away -

if your aim is good enough.

(BA-DUM-BUMP)

CLICK TO START

THE VIDEO NOW!

Up next, countrified crooner Roger Miller

sings about a place where you can see

bobbies on bicycles, Westminster Abbey,

the tower of Big Ben and The Snows

of Kilimanjaro. (MOOOOO!) Here's

Roger now with-- "England Swings!"

"England Swings" - Roger Miller

(Nov./Dec. 1965, highest chart pos. #8 Hot 100 & Cash Box)

A top 10 hit from late fall 1965, that was

Roger Miller singing "Inga Lynn swings

like a pendulum do." Shucks, that's why

I'm eager to meet her! (BA-DUM-BUMP)

Dr. Don Rose in the morning on Quixie

in Dixie and S-P-M-M, Retro Radio in Futuresonic Stereo Surround. I don't

have a clue what any of that means!

(KAZOO SOUND)

CLICK TO START VID!

These guys are a little bit country, a little bit

rock 'n' roll and a whole lotta fun. They're
The Newbeats, and they had a string of
Nashville style pop hits like this
one-- "Run, Baby Run!"

"Run, Baby Run (Back Into My Arms)" - The Newbeats

(Oct./Nov./Dec. 1965, highest chart pos. #12 Hot 100/#14 Cash Box)

You just heard the falsetto of the late great
Larry Henley singing "Run, Baby Run" with
The Newbeats. The record stopped at #12 on

the U.S. chart in the fall of 1965 but reached

the 10 spot in the UK six years later when it

was re-released as a B side and became

a dance favorite in Northern Soul clubs.

CLICK TO START
THE VIDEO NOW!

Now a taste of Nashville soul from

Joe Simon. Joe feels like a puppet

on a string because his sweetie

keeps him-- "Hangin' On."

"(You Keep Me) Hangin' On" - Joe Simon
(May/June 1968, highest chart position

#11 R&B/#25 Hot 100/#42 Cash Box)

Not to be confused with the hit by

the Motown Supremes, that was

"(You Keep Me) Hangin' On,"

a different song and different

kind of soul - Nashville soul,

a crossover hit in 1968 for

R&B soul man Joe Simon.

Shucks, I'm all out of time and

Gary Owens is waving me off.

Thanks for tuning in and letting

me put some corn in your morn.
I hope you had fun peering into

the past through Rose-Colored

Glasses and reliving the salad

days of your youth. I'm a meat

and potatoes man myself.

(MOOOOO!)

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Stay tuned for Geator Gold with Jerry Blavat coming up on the B side of news,

and I'll be back soon with another pile of platters for a Rosey good morning.

That's my pledge, and here's Joe Jeffrey with his "Pledge of Love." Now

this is Dr. Don Rose along with Lulu-Belle (MOOOOO!)... So long!

"My Pledge Of Love" - The Joe Jeffrey Group

(June/July 1969, highest chart pos. #13 Cash Box/#14 Hot 100)