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! 

Dell Rat Tom's Jukebox Giants - Volume 4: A Tale of Two Ditties - Gimme Some Lovin'

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)

START PLAYING VIDEO

AT 1:14 MARK!

"Hanky Panky" - The Shondells

(June/July 1966, highest chart pos. #1)

The Shondells leading us off with "Hanky Panky," another song that
gained a new set of naughty lyrics thanks to me and my Dell rat buddies.
By the way, "Hanky Panky" is a lot older than you might think. It was
written in 1963 and first waxed by a girl group called The Summits -
another cool record. The version you just heard by Tommy James
and his group was first released in early 1964 and again in '65,
but it took until the summer of 1966 to become a #1 smash.

Hi and welcome to the show!
I'm Dell Rat Tom back here on
S-P-M-M with another edition
of Jukebox Giants spotlighting
the greatest hits that played
in the dance hall of my old
hangout the Shady Dell
in York, Pennsylvania.

This special leap year edition is called "A Tale of Two Ditties" because I'm playing

two great versions of the same song -"Gimme Some Lovin'." One version was

released in the U.S. and the other in the UK.  In December 1966 The Jordan

Brothers, a veteran rock 'n' roll band from Frackville, PA, a town 60 miles

from York, became the first to release "Gimme Some Lovin'" as a single.

The record was just catching on when it was eclipsed by a version

waxed by the Spencer Davis Group, a Brit band that featured the

vocals of budding solo star Steve Winwood who wrote the song.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Although the platter recorded by The Jordan Brothers' merely Bubbled Under
on the national chart, it was big on the East Coast, big in Philadelphia, big on
York's WSBA radio and Lancaster's WLAN, and very big at the Shady Dell.
Listen now to the version of "Gimme Some Lovin'" 4 out of 5 Dell rats
recommend, the one they played more often. Coming in at #63 on
my list of The 200 Greatest Hits of the Shady Dell, a genuine
Jukebox Giant by-- The Jordan Brothers!

"Gimme Some Lovin'" - The Jordan Brothers

(Jan. 1967, highest chart pos. #129)

Frackville's finest - the Jordan Brothers - who began making records
way back in 1958, and their version of "Gimme Some Lovin"
released at the end of 1966.

Now here's the conclusion of my tale of

two ditties, the same song as recorded

by The Spencer Davis Group.

CLICK TO START

THE VIDEO NOW!

The two versions of "Gimme Some Lovin'" charted

simultaneously for a couple of weeks in January of

'67, but the Jordan Brothers' record stalled at #129
while Winwood took his catchy composition all the
way to #7. The British record was also popular at
the Dell, ranked #78 on my Dell's Greatest Hits

survey. Listen now to The Spencer Davis Group

and their rendition of-- "Gimme Some Lovin'!"

"Gimme Some Lovin'"- The Spencer Davis Group

 (Jan./Feb. 1967, highest chart pos. #7)

A tale of two ditties - two great versions of "Gimme Some Lovin'" -

both records hot in the Shady in the early months of 1967. 

As much fun as the Dell was in summer...

it was pure magic in winter, and here's

another song from the same time period

that "Gimme Some Lovin'" was popular -

the frigid nights of January and February

1967. I can still see Dell rats huddled in

front of the fireplace to keep warm.

Outside it's chilling. The mercury is

dropping down to minus ten below

(the "feels like" temp). It's snowing

hard. Your parents called you crazy

for going out on a wicked night like

this, but you had to make the scene.

Feel the warmth radiating from that

roaring blaze. John just threw another

big log on the fire. Wet snow clung to

the wood and it’s starting to sizzle.

Can you hear the sound, Dell rats?

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Meanwhile, out on the dance floor, couples cuddle to
Tommy Roe’s solid cold classic-- "It's Now Winter's Day!"

"It's Now Winter's Day" - Tommy Roe

(Jan./Feb. 1967, highest chart pos. #23)

A roaring fire, a smoky haze, body heat, romance, perfumed hair
that I can smell to this day... essence that I liked so well. Sweet, misty
memories of the Dell in winter - "It's Now Winter's Day" by Tommy Roe.

If you're just  tuning in, I'm Dell Rat Tom bringing you Jukebox Giants,

the greatest Dell songs of the mid 60s here on S-P-M-M Radio.

As a teenager there were three coming-of-age

milestones that I couldn't wait to reach: getting

my driver's license, owning my first car and

buying my first Magnificent Men album.

A fact of life, a fundamental part of

growing up in Central PA, was a

love of "The Mag Men."

START VIDEO NOW!

Already soulfully inclined... Dell rats were

all the more receptive to what the Mag Men

were puttin' down because they were a home-

grown act... with roots in York and "The Burg."

Here's one of the great songs from that 1967

album, Dave Bupp, Buddy King and the

Magnificent Men-- "Cry With Me Baby!"

"Cry With Me Baby" - The Magnificent Men

(from 1967 album The Magnificent Men)

Our hometown heroes, The Mag Men, and "Cry With Me Baby"
from their eponymous debut album on Capitol. You're listening
to Jukebox Giants with Dell Rat Tom on S-P-M-M...
where all the cool oldies go to live forever.

Our seven song block party continues now with
a super sound from Motown. Like many other
60s artists, Kim Weston started out singing
gospel before making the switch to secular
Soul. Here's a Kim Weston song that missed
the R&B top 10 but was sandwiched between
her two top 5 hits - her original version of
"Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A
Little While)" and "It Takes Two,"
her hit duet with Marvin Gaye.

CLICK TO START

THE VIDEO NOW!

This one played nightly in the Dell dance hall

and ushered in the spring of 1966. At #177 on

the Dell Hits list, Kim Weston is-- "Helpless!"

"Helpless" - Kim Weston

(Mar./Apr. 1966, highest chart pos. #13 R&B/#56 Hot 100)

That was "Helpless," a sensational yet under-performing
song by a sensational and underrated Motown artist -
Miss Kim Weston - who is now 80 years old.

Hey, time's up, and I gotta head for home to
beat the curfew. Stay tuned. Coming up on
the B side of news, it's my good buddy
Ernest P. Worrell with the premiere of
his new show Rock-A-Billygoat right
here on S-P-M-M, the station that's
number one for music and fun.

START VIDEO NOW!

Hang on because I'll be back soon with another
edition of Jukebox Giants - the greatest hits of
the Shady Dell. As I leave you with "My Girl"
 by The Temptations- #83 on the Dell survey,
this is Dell Rat Tom reminding you to make
every day a holiday... and every night a
Shady Dell night!

"My Girl" - The Temptations

(Feb./Mar. 1965, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100/#1 R&B)