Thea Queen of Clubs - Vol. 1: Wild Girls Like Billie Jean!

(COLD OPEN)
CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

"That's Where The Happy People Go" - The Trammps

(Apr./May 1976, highest chart pos. #1 Disco/#12 R&B,

#27 Hot 100, perf. on Dutch TV show TopPop)

Disco... "That's Where The Happy People Go," and you just saw and heard

The Trammps of Philadelphia, one of the pioneering disco bands of the 70s,

doing their crossover hit that topped the dance chart in the spring of 1976. 

Live from Club Verdant, where the

happy people go in Star City... it's

Thea Queen of Clubs!

Hi there! I'm your

Hostess with the Mostest

Thea Queen

 welcoming you into the club

 and inviting you to dance

till dawn or till you drop,

whichever comes first.

As you recall from my previous

appearances on Shady's blogs,

I'm Oliver Queen's kid sister

on Arrow, the superhero TV

series based on the DC

comics character

Green Arrow. 

Using the code name Speedy, I am a member of Team Arrow,

the gang of crime fighting vigilantes on a mission to save our city. 

When I'm not suited up for combat,

I'm gussied up for hosting duties

as owner of Verdant, a nightclub

founded by Oliver and used as a

cover for his vigilante operation.

His Arrowcave headquarters

is located in the basement. 

That's Ollie (above) at the grand opening of Verdant

proposing a toast and thanking the party people for coming.

Our mother was also there that night to show her support.

In previous appearances on Shady's blogs, I have been your host for rave parties.

This is my first official radio show as a new member of The Shady Bunch.

Thea Queen of Clubs

is unique because it is the only S-P-M-M show that comes to you

live from a nightclub with simulcasts on radio and YouTube. 

CLICK TO START

THE VIDEO NOW!

My mission is to keep you out on the

floor and begging for more as I play

the best of 70s disco and 80s dance

club sounds, and here now is another

great one. It's LA-based R&B thrush

Carrie Lucas performing the hit single

from her most successful album,

Carrie Lucas in Danceland.

The 1979 disco song brushed

the top 5 on the U.S. Dance

chart and went top 40 in the

UK. Here's Carrie Lucas

making it clear she wants

to-- "Dance With You!"  

"Dance With You" - Carrie Lucas

(Apr./May 1979, highest chart pos. #6 U.S. Dance,

#27 R&B/#40 UK/#70 Hot 100)

From 1979, the last big year for disco,

that was a sizzling sound on both sides

of the pond... California dance diva

Carrie Lucas and her best known

song "Dance With You." 

CLICK TO START

THE VIDEO NOW!

We're still deep in the heart of disco

as I play this seldom heard relic from

early 1979... another record that was

a hit in both the U.S. and the UK.

Here's child actor and singer

Leif Garrett doing his signature

song "I Was Made For Dancin'." 

"I Was Made For Dancin'" - Leif Garrett

(Jan./Feb. 1979, highest chart pos. #10 Hot 100,

#15 Cash Box/#2 Australia/#3 New Zealand/#4 UK) 

That was teen idol Leif Garrett performing "I Was Made For Dancin'"

... the biggest hit of his career as a recording artist. You first saw

Leif as an actor in 1969 when he played the son of Elliott Gould

and Dyan Cannon in the movie Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice.

Just now tuning in? Hi, I'm...

Thea Queen of Clubs

from the TV series Arrow, and this is my first official radio show on

S-P-M-M... where we make old school new again and cool again.

I'm bringing you the best

of 1970s disco, freestyle

faves and 80s dance club

sounds. We're right in the

middle of a 7-in-a-row

seamless jam, so keep

that body movin'. 

During the Thanksgiving

and Christmas holidays

of 1966, Diana Ross

and The Supremes

topped the charts

with "You Keep

Me Hangin' On."

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

Here's the Hi-NRG

remake by English pop

star Kim Wilde, a single

that also reached #1 in

the states.  Go Wilde

on the dance floor as

Kim sings her cover

of "You Keep Me

Hangin' On!"

"You Keep Me Hangin' On" - Kim Wilde

(May/June 1987, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100,

#2 Cash Box/#2 UK/#1 Australia)

That was the official music video for UK popper Kim Wilde's

chart-topping 1987 cover of "You Keep Me Hangin' On." 

CLICK TO START

THE VIDEO NOW!

Now here's the King of Pop,

Michael Jackson, with a song

everyone in the civilized world

knows. This single spent nine

weeks at #1 and helped Thriller

become the fastest selling album

of all time and top that chart for

37 weeks. The song is ranked

high on Rolling Stone's list of

Greatest Songs of All Time and

was named the greatest dance

record of all time in a poll of

BBC Radio 2  listeners. Here's

Michael with his monster

hit-- "Billie Jean!" 

"Billie Jean" - Michael Jackson

(Jan. thru Apr. 1983, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box

& R&B & UK & France & Switzerland & Belgium)

Number one in America and

a smash heard round the world

beginning in the early months

of 1983, that was "Billie Jean"

by The King of Pop...

Michael Jackson. 

Thea Queen

of Clubs

keeping your feet busy

and giving up the funk

with another early 80s

dance club classic.

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW! 

Here's one of the baddest sounds around. It's by the LA-based,

all-female R&B band Klymaxx. Time to party with "Wild Girls!"

"Wild Girls" (12 inch remix) - Klymaxx

(Nov./Dec. 1982, highest chart pos. #78 R&B)

From the ace record producing team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis,

that was "Wild Girls," the best song on the 1982 Klymaxx album

Girls Will Be Girls. At the time of its release, the single didn't

have much impact, but has since grown into a fan favorite.   

Dawn's breaking and the dance party's over. Hope you had fun dancing

the night away at Star City's hottest night spot, Verdant, and being

part of this special live blogcast on S-P-M-M Retro Radio.

 

Stick around. Coming up on the flip side of Gary Owens' news,

Dell Rat Tom returns to Shady's Place with Part 7 of his series

 SAVED BY THE BELL  DELL  

And I'll be back before you know it to bring you more

of the great sounds from the disco 70s and clubbin' 80s.

To play us off, one of the hottest disco hits of the 70s,

"Born To Be Alive" by Patrick Hernandez...

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW!

 

 And look-- the awesome sight of a flash mob grooving to the song. Now

this is your Rockin' Royalty of Retro Radio, your #1 Dance Diva DJ

Thea Queen of Clubs aka "Speedy" urging you to shed the

blues and put on your boogie shoes. See you next time! 

"Born To Be Alive - Patrick Hernandez

(Aug./Sept. 1979, highest chart pos. #1 Disco/#16 Hot 100,

#17 Cash Box, Flashmob Dance, Feb. 2023)

Rescue Me (from Boring Music & Dull DJs) - Meet SPMM Newcomers Asher, Antonia, Sloan, Emily, May and Grace!

Hi, I'm Asher Keddie...

 one of Australia's leading actresses. According

to Shady Del Knight, I'm part Meryl Streep,

part Jennifer Aniston... and all that. 

I "absolutely shined" (Shady's words) in 3 hit Australian TV series -

Love My Way, Offspring and Party Tricks -

  I also had the iconic lead role in an Aussie miniseries - Paper Giants:

The Birth of Cleo and was in the main cast of the American

dramatic miniseries Nine Perfect Strangers.

I'm Antonia Prebble...

one of New Zealand's most popular actresses. Shady says

I'm part Audrey Hepburn, part Liz Taylor... and all that. 

DON'T "MISS" WITH "Lo-ritta Wist" 

Antonia Prebble as OUTRAGEOUSLY OUTSPOKEN Loretta West

Shady calls me a Kiwi Kewpie Doll, because I starred in four TV series he

 watched and loved- Outrageous Fortune, The Blue Rose, Westside and Sisters.

I also starred in the gripping indie film White Lies and

in The Cure, a science-fiction thriller he enjoyed.

Asher and I share the distinction

of being the only presenters on

S-P-M-M radio shows that hail

from the lands down under...

Australia and New Zealand.

Plus we are the only members of

The Shady Bunch that will go by

our real names, Asher & Antonia,

not the names of characters we play.

Shady says it's because Antonia and

I have appeared in so many things he

has watched and liked that he couldn't

pick just one character for each of us

to play here at Shady's Place.  

Asher and I will be hosting a new

show coming soon to S-P-M-M called

Thunder Down Under.

Inspired by the Weekly Song Challenge and

similar blog hops, Thunder Down Under

asks us to pick and play songs in one of

the following three categories: songs

with titles or lyrics that mention

weather phenomena like thunder,

lightning, rain, wind or storms,...

songs with titles that contain the

word "down" or songs with titles

that contain the word "under."

 See how it works? Sound like fun?

Remind you of the WSC?

Asher's got a sample. 

The words to this hit song include

the following weather references: 

Bus stop, wet day, she's there,

I say "Please, share my umbrella" 

CLICK TO START

THE VIDEO NOW! 

All that summer, we enjoyed it

Wind and rain and shine

That umbrella, we employed it

By August, she was mine. 

The Hollies! 

"Bus Stop" - The Hollies

(Aug./Sept. 1966, highest chart pos. #5 Hot 100 & Cash Box) 

Oops, sorry. You caught me in the

middle of  sexting  texting a friend.

Hi... I'm

Sloan Sabbith

...a reporter and anchor on the highly

acclaimed HBO series The Newsroom.

I'll be joining four other women

journalists hosting the new

Shady's Place radio series

The I-Team.

 Like the show hosted by Asher

& Antonia (maybe we should

call them The A&A Team...)

ours has a twist. Every song

my colleagues and I play will

have an "I" word in the title. 

I've got a sample, an I-Team

"I" song by The Regrettes, a

Los Angeles based punk rock

and riot grrrl band fronted by

innovative songwriter and

charismatic lead singer

Lydia Night. Regrettes

songs feature elements

of garage rock, 60s

doo-wop and surf,

rockabilly and pop. 

The song you are

about to hear was

released as a single

from The Regrettes

2019 album How

Do You Love?

START VIDEO NOW! 

As you listen to the sound and watch the choreography in this official music video,

they might remind you of the opening theme from Friends. Here now are the

captivating Lydia Night and her band of Regrettes playing- "I Dare You!" 

"I Dare You" - The Regrettes

(June 2019) 

I'm Emily

Rhodes...

Special Advisor to the President

of the United States on the ABC -

Netflix political thriller drama

TV series Designated Survivor.

Join me and other White House

Wonder Women as we host our

new radio show starting soon

on S-P-M-M. It'll be called:

The 1600 Club:

Meet The Supremes

of Pennsylvania Ave. 

The 1600 Club

will feature the greatest hits and

performances of Motown's most

popular girl group The Supremes.

As a sample, I'd like to play a clip

of the ladies performing their first

#1 charting hit in October, 1964,

on The Steve Allen Show.

CLICK TO START

THE VIDEO NOW!

The Supremes ask

the musical question

"Where Did Our Love Go?" 

"Where Did Our Love Go" - The Supremes

(July/Aug. 1964, highest chart pos. #1 Hot 100 & Cash Box ,

#1 R&B, Oct. 7, 1964, perf. on The Steve Allen Show )

I'm May Grant...

a young 911 operator serving LA on the first responder rescue TV series 9-1-1.

BOLO (be on the lookout) for me and six other women as we host

The M Squad...

 yet another new radio show coming soon to S-P-M-M Retro Radio. 

  

CLICK TO START

THE VIDEO NOW!

Now if you'll excuse me, I need

to dispatch units to the sets of

the TV music shows Shindig

and Hollywood A Go-Go.

There's a report of a woman

in distress. Witnesses I.D.

her as Fontella Bass and

say she's shouting--

"Rescue Me!"

"Rescue Me" - Fontella Bass

(Oct./Nov. 1965, highest chart pos. #1 R&B/#3 Cash Box,

#4 Hot 100, perf. on Nov. 6, 1965, episode of Shindig! 

and on Oct. 23, 1965, ep. of Hollywood A Go-Go) 

I'm Grace Ryder...

 May Grant's counterpart. May is a

911 operator living in Los Angeles.

 I'm a 911 operator in Austin, Texas, and the wife of a firefighter

on the spin-off Fox TV action first responder rescue series

9-1-1: Lone Star. Be watching for my new show

Grace Kelly Rear Window

coming soon to S-P-M-M Retrosonic Radio. 

CLICK TO START THE VIDEO NOW! 

To close this special sneak preview, I'm dispatching all units to a structure fire

in progress. Witnesses report a group of Trammps are burning down the house.

They call the scene a "Disco Inferno." Now this is Grace Ryder saying thanks

for tuning in and we'll be seeing you soon! Stay safe. It's a jungle out there! 

"Disco Inferno" - The Trammps

(from OST of Dec. 1977 film Saturday Night Fever,

single Feb./Mar. 1977, highest chart pos. #1 Dance,

#9 R&B/#53 Hot 100, re-release Apr./May 1978,

highest chart position #8 Cash Box/#11 Hot 100) 

  ANTONIA PREBBLE STARS IN THE BLUE ROSE