Doctor Don, Minneapolis, MN (2025)

02/22/2025

Music notes or Feb. 22:

1986 - MTV dedicated a full 22 hour broadcast to The Monkees, showing all 45 episodes of the original The Monkees TV series. The show first aired on NBC for two seasons, from September 12, 1966, to March 25, 1968. The shows launch a Monkees revival, and the group reforms to tour later in the year.

1977 - The Eagles released 'Hotel California' the title track from the Eagles' album of the same name. Written by Don Felder, Don Henley, and Glenn Frey its long guitar coda was voted the best guitar solo of all time by readers of Guitarist in 1998. The song was awarded the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in 1978.

1976 - Shortly after emerging from poverty and alcoholism to make a musical comeback, Florence Ballard of The Supremes dies at age 32 of a cardiac arrest caused by a blood clot. She sang on 16 top 40 singles with the group, including ten number-one hits. Ballard had left the group in 1967, and lost an $8 million lawsuit against Motown records.

1975 - Scottish group The Average White Band went to No.1 on the singles chart with 'Pick Up The Pieces', the bands album AWB also went to No.1.

02/21/2025

WDGY’s Doctor Don presents the Top 5 songs this week in 1970:

1 THANK YOU (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) / EVERYBODY IS A STAR –•– Sly and the Family Stone
2 HEY THERE LONELY GIRL –•– Eddie Holman
3 BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATER –•– Simon and Garfunkel
4 I WANT YOU BACK –•– Jackson 5
5 TRAVELIN’ BAND / WHO’LL STOP THE RAIN –•– Creedence Clearwater Revival

HIGH DEBUT OF THE WEEK: AT #68 - LOVE GROWS WHERE MY ROSEMARY GOES - EDISON LIGHTHOUSE

IT WOULD PEAK AT #5

02/21/2025

Music notes for Feb. 21:

1990 - Paul McCartney is honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 32nd annual Grammy Awards, perhaps to make up for the paltry four awards they gave to The Beatles while they were still active.

1981 - Dolly Parton started a two week run at No.1 on the charts with '9 to 5', the singer's first No.1 hit. The track was taken from the 1980 comedy film of the same name. The song garnered Parton an Academy Award nomination and four Grammy Award nominations, winning her the awards for Best Country Song and Best Country Vocal Performance, Female.

1981 - REO Speedwagon's ninth album, Hi Infidelity, goes to #1 in America, displacing John Lennon's Double Fantasy.

1970 - The Jackson 5 perform their #1 hit "I Want You Back" and their new single, "ABC," on American Bandstand. It's their first appearance on the show; frontman Michael tells host Dick Clark he likes the weather in Los Angeles (it's much warmer than their hometown of Gary, Indiana) and digs The Beatles.

1964 - 1964 The Rolling Stones release their first single in the U.S., a cover of the Buddy Holly song "Not Fade Away."

02/20/2025

Music notes for Feb. 20:

The late Walter Becker bass, guitar, vocals, songwriter, and co-founder of Steely Dan born this date.

The late J. Geils who formed the band in the late 1960’s born this date. The “J” stands for John.

The late David Cassidy passed away in 2017 at age 67. He became an international heartthrob after the launch of the TV show “The Partridge Family” in 1970. He also had roles on other TV shows and on Broadway.

1991 - Bob Dylan was awarded a lifetime achievement award at the 33rd annual Grammy' Awards. A starstruck Jack Nicholson introduced a purple-suited, fedoraed Dylan who said: "You know, it's possible to become so defiled in this world that your own mother and father will abandon you, and if that happens, God will always believe in your own ability to mend your own ways. Thank you!"

1982 - Happy 42nd anniversary to Pat Benatar and her husband Neil Geraldo.

1974 - Cher files for divorce from Sonny. The famous pair had been putting on a happy front for the public for the past two years until Sonny finally filed for a separation, citing "irreconcilable differences." A week later, Cher files for divorce, claiming "involuntary servitude" due to Sonny allegedly withholding her earnings.

02/19/2025

Music notes for Feb. 19:

Happy birthday 60’s pop star Lou Christie. Among his hits were “Lightening Strikes” and “I’m Gonna Make You Mine”.

Happy birthday Motown legend Smokey Robinson. Robinson has accumulated more than 4,000 songs to his credit.

1977 - Manfred Mann's Earth Band scored a No.1 single in the with their version of the Bruce Springsteen song 'Blinded By The Light.' The track was the first single from Springsteen's 1973 debut album Greetings from Asbury Park N.J

1974 - The First American Music Awards, Dick Clark's answer to the Grammys, is broadcast on ABC. Hosts include Smokey Robinson, Helen Reddy and Roger Miller. Among the winners were Jim Croce, The Carpenters, Stevie Wonders, Elton John and Gladys Knight & The Pips.

1972 - Harry Nilsson started a four-week run at No.1 on the singles chart with his version of the Badfinger song 'Without You.' He had heard Badfinger's recording at a party and mistook it for a Beatles song. After realising it was not, he decided to cover the song for his 1971 album Nilsson Schmilsson. He wanted his version of the song to be a stark, but producer Richard Perry convinced him to turn it into a grand, crashing, theatrical monster-ballad, complete with orchestra. His vocal was recorded in a single take.

1964 - Simon and Garfunkel record "The Sound Of Silence," which is later overdubbed with electric instruments by producer Tom Wilson. This version is released as a single and shoots to #1 launching the career of the duo.

02/19/2025

WDGY’s Doctor Don presents the Top 5 songs this week in 1976:

1 50 WAYS TO LEAVE YOUR LOVER –•– Paul Simon
2 THEME FROM “S.W.A.T.” –•– Rhythm Heritage
3 YOU SEXY THING –•– Hot Chocolate
4 LOVE TO LOVE YOU BABY –•– Donna Summer
5 LOVE MACHINE (Part 1) –•– The Miracles

HIGH DEBUT OF THE WEEK: at # - 83 — THE JAM –•– Graham Central Station

IT WOULD PEAK AT #15

02/19/2025

Music notes for Feb. 18:

Happy birthday John Travolta.

Happy birthday 80’s hit maker Juice Newton

Happy birthday Stxy lead singer Dennis DeYoung.

1969 - Three thousand uninvited guests showed up to see Lulu and Bee Gee Maurice Gibb get married at St. James' Church, Gerrard's Cross, England. Brother Barry was the best man.

1966 - Beach Boy Brian Wilson recorded the future classic song 'Good Vibrations', which went on to become the band's third number-one hit. As a child, his mother told him that dogs could pick up "vibrations" from people, so that the dog would bark at "bad vibrations" Wilson turned this into the general idea for the song.

1965 - Working at Abbey Road studios in London, The Beatles recorded two new songs: John Lennon's 'You've Got to Hide Your Love Away' and a new Paul McCartney song 'Tell Me What You See'. Both were released on the album Help! in August 1965.

02/17/2025

Music notes for Feb. 17:

1984 - The musical drama Footloose opens in theaters with a soundtrack featuring Kenny Loggins, Deniece Williams, and Sammy Hagar. Two songs from the movie - "Footloose" and "Let's Hear it For the Boy" - go to #1.

1976 - The Eagles release Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975), a collection of 10 songs from their first four albums. For a while, it is certified as the top-selling album in US history. Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” currently holds that title.

1973 - Free play their final live gig in Hollywood, Florida, as Simon Kirke and Paul Rodgers leave to form Bad Company.

1971 - James Taylor made his US TV debut on The Johnny Cash Show performing "Sweet Baby James," "Fire and Rain" and "Country Road. Other guests included Neil Young, Linda Ronstadt and Tony Joe White.

1967 - The Beatles started recording a new John Lennon song 'Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite' at Abbey Road studios, London. John's lyrics for the song came almost entirely from an antique poster advertising a circus performance scheduled to take place in February 1843.

02/16/2025

Music notes or Feb. 16:

The late Sonny Bono born this day. Before he teamed up with Cher, we was a songwriter. One he co-wrote was “Needles and Pins”, a hit for The Searchers.

Singer -songwriter the late James Ingram born this day. He score an hit with “Somewhere Out There', with Linda Ronstadtand the 1990 US No.1 single 'I Don't Have The Heart'. Ingram also co-wrote 'P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)' the sixth single from Michael Jackson's album, Thriller and co-wrote the 1983 hit duet with Michael McDonald 'Yah Mo B There”. Other hits included “Just Once” and “One Hundred Ways”.

Singer Lesley Gore passed away. Among her 1960’s were “It’s My Party, “Judy’s Turn to Cry” and “You Don’t Own Me”. Gore composed songs for the soundtrack of the 1980 film Fame, for which she received an Academy Award nomination for ‘Out Here on My Own’, written with her brother Michael.

1975 - Cher started her own weekly hour of a music and comedy show on CBS-TV. The singer had co-presented The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour with her former husband. Cher's new show featured a female guest each week. . The first guests are Elton John, Bette Midler and Flip Wilson.

1974 Bob Dylan started a four week run at No.1 on the album chart with Planet Waves, his first No.1. The album was originally set to be titled Ceremonies Of The Horsemen. When Dylan decided to change the title at the last minute, the release was delayed for two weeks.

02/15/2025

Music notes for Feb. 15:

Happy birthday singer-songwriter Melissa Manchester. Her hits include ”Midnight Blue”, ”Don’t Cry Out Loud and “You Should Hear How She Talks About You” for which she won the 1983 Grammy for Best Pop Female Vocal Performance.

1979 - At the 21st Grammy Awards, the 'Saturday Night Fever' soundtrack won Album of the Year and The Bee Gees were named Best Pop Group and Best Arrangement for Voices for 'Staying Alive'. Billy Joel's 'Just the Way You Are' won Record and Song of the Year. Donna Summer's 'Last Dance' won two Grammys: Best Female R&B Vocal and Best R&B Song.

1979 - Barry Manilow wins his first and only Grammy Award when "Copacabana (At The Copa)" is named Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 21st Annual Grammy Awards.

1975 - Linda Ronstadt went to No.1 on the singles chart with 'You're No Good', the singer's only solo chart topper out of 12 other top 40 hits. Also on today, Ronstadt went to No.1 on the album chart with Heart Like A Wheel.

1969 - Sly & the Family Stone land their first #1 hit when "Everyday People" tops the Hot 100 for the first of four weeks. The song's message: we're all essentially the same, no matter what we look like. Of the seven members in the group, two are white and five are black.

1968 -John Lennon and his wife Cynthia along with George and Patti Harrison, flew to India to study meditation with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr joined them a few days later, but Starr would become bored and leave on March 1st.
The other three didn’t stick around much longer.

1967 - Music students at Chicago's DePaul University form a seven-piece rock ensemble called The Big Thing. Later, they would change their name to Chicago Transit Authority.

1964 - The Beatles scored their first No.1 album with Meet The Beatles! The album stayed at No.1 for eleven weeks and had sold over four million copies by December 31, 1964. Released as their second album in the US, it was the group's first American album to be issued by Capitol Records.

02/14/2025

WDGY’s Doctor Don presents the Top 5 songs this week in 1981:

1 CELEBRATION –•– Kool and the Gang
2 9 TO 5 –•– Dolly Parton
3 I LOVE A RAINY NIGHT –•– Eddie Rabbitt
4 THE TIDE IS HIGH –•– Blondie
5 PASSION –•– Rod Stewart

HIGH DEBUT OF THE WEEK: 74 — MORNING TRAIN (Nine To Five) –•– Sheena Easton

It would go all the way to #1

02/14/2025

Music notes for Feb. 14:

Happy Valentine’s Day

1996 - T.A.F.K.A.P. married Mayte Garcia in a Minneapolis church, he also composed a special song for his wife, 'Friend, Lover, Sister, Mother, Wife', which she heard for the first time when they had their first wedding dance. The couple split in 1998.

1987 - Bon Jovi started a four week run at No.1 on the chart with 'Livin' On A Prayer', the group's second No.1. Jon Bon Jovi did not like the original recording of this song. Lead guitarist Richie Sambora, however, convinced him the song was good, and they reworked it with a new bassline.

1977 - singer songwriter Janis Ian received 461 Valentine's day cards after indicating in the lyrics of her song 'At Seventeen', she had never received any.

1972 - John Lennon and Yoko Ono started a five-episode run as co-hosts on the Mike Douglas TV show. The Philadelphia-based talk show was the most popular show on daytime television, seen by about 40 million people a week. As hosts, Lennon and Ono broached controversial topics, including the empowerment of women and the deterioration of the environment.

1961 - The Beatles performed at the Cassanova Club, Liverpool, and at Litherland Town Hall, Liverpool where they played a special Valentine's Day show. Paul McCartney sang Elvis Presley's 'Wooden Heart', wearing a wooden heart pinned to his coat, covered with satin and embroidered with the names "John", "Paul", "George", and "Pete". The heart was raffled off, and the winner also won a kiss from Paul.

02/13/2025

Music notes for Feb. 13, 2025

Happy birthday Peter Gabriel, founding member of Genesis. After leaving the band, he went on to a successful solo career producing hits like “Sledgehammer” and “Big Time”.

The late Peter Tork of The Monkees born this date. Peter was proficient of guitar, bass guitar, piano and harpsichord. For a brief time he attended Carlton College in Northfield.

2007 - Rod Stewart was paid $1million when he performed at a billionaire's birthday bash. Stewart was booked to play a one-hour gig to help Steve Schwarzman celebrate his 60th birthday held at New York's Park Avenue Armory.

1978 - Dire Straits began recording their first album at Basing Street Studios, London. The whole project cost ($21,250) to produce, about $100,000 in today’s money. The album which featured the group's breakthrough single 'Sultans of Swing'. The inspiration for 'Sultans of Swing' came from Mark Knopfler witnessing a mediocre jazz band playing in the corner of a practically deserted pub. At the end of their performance, the lead singer came up to the microphone and announced that they were the "Sultans of Swing."

1971 - The Osmonds started a five week run at No.1 on the singles chart with 'One Bad Apple”.

1969 - Bob Dylan recorded versions of 'Lay, Lady, Lay', at Columbia Recording Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. 'Lay Lady Lay' was originally written for the soundtrack of the movie Midnight Cowboy, but wasn't submitted in time to be included in the finished film.
1967 - The Monkees announced that from now on they would be playing on their own recordings instead of session musicians.

02/12/2025

Music notes for Feb. 12:

Happy birthday Michael McDonald of the Doobie Brothers.

The late Ray Manzarek, keyboard player for The Doors born this date. It was a chance meeting on the beach in Venice, California that led to the formation of the band.

1972 - Al Green went to No.1 on the singles chart with 'Let's Stay Together', his only chart topper. It was ranked the 60th greatest song of all time by Rolling Stone magazine on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Tina Turner had a hit with the song in 1984.

1970 - John Lennon performed 'Instant Karma!' on BBC TV's Top Of The Pops, becoming the first Beatle to have appeared on the show since 1966. Lennon wrote, recorded, and mixed his new single, all in one day. It ranks as one of the fastest-released songs in pop music history. Lennon later stated, "I wrote it for breakfast, recorded it for lunch, and we're putting it out for dinner."

1964 - The Beatles returned to New York City by train from Washington, D.C. for two performances at Carnegie Hall. There was such a demand for tickets that some extra seating was arranged surrounding the stage. Tickets ranged from $1.65 to $5.50. That’s $16 to $56 in today’s money. There was a plan in place to record the concert for a live album, but a disagreement with the local musicians union prevented that.

1961 - “Shop Around” by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles became Motown’s first million-seller.

02/11/2025

WDGY’s Doctor Don presents the Top 5 songs this week in 1965:

1 YOU’VE LOST THAT LOVIN’ FEELIN’ –•– The Righteous Brothers
2 DOWNTOWN –•– Petula Clark
3 THIS DIAMOND RING –•– Gary Lewis and the Playboys
4 THE NAME GAME –•– Shirley Ellis
5 MY GIRL –•– The Temptations

HIGH DEBUT OF THE WEEK: At #78 YEH, YEH –•– Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames

IT WOULD PEAK AT #22

02/11/2025

Music notes for Feb. 11:

The late Gerry Goffin born this date. He wrote the lyrics to Carole King’s melodies and together they produced over 114 Billboard Hot 100 hits.

1967 - The Monkees set a new record when their second album, More Of The Monkees jumped from No.122 to the top of the chart. The album then stayed in pole position for eighteen weeks, the longest of any Monkees album. The group did not know the album was being released, something they were not happy about.

1964 - The Beatles made their live concert debut in the US at the Washington Coliseum. Over 350 police surrounded the stage to keep the 8,000 plus screaming fans in control. The Beatles had to stop three times and turn Ringo's drum kit around and re-position their microphones so that they faced a different part of the audience. The set list: ‘Roll Over Beethoven’, ‘From Me to You’, ‘I Saw Her Standing There’, ‘This Boy’, ‘All My Loving’, ‘I Wanna Be Your Man’, ‘Please Please Me’, ‘She Loves You’, ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand’, ‘Twist and Shout’, and ‘Long Tall Sally’.

1963 - In less than ten hours, The Beatles record ten new songs for their first album plus four other tracks which would be the next two singles including their debut single ’Love Me Do’. John Lennon's vocal on The Isley Brothers 'Twist & Shout' was recorded in one take to complete the album, (Lennon was suffering from a bad cold, which he attempted to treat with a steady supply of throat lozenges.

02/10/2025

Music notes for Feb. 10:

Happy birthday Roberta Flack. She had the 1972 No.1 single 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face'. Clint Eastwood chose the song for the soundtrack of his directorial debut Play Misty for Me. Flack also had the 1973 No.1 single 'Killing Me Softly With His Song'. Flack was the first artist to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in two consecutive years:

1979 - Rod Stewart started a four week run at No.1 on the singles chart with 'Da Ya Think I'm Sexy', his third No.1. Also today Rod started a three-week run at No.1 on the album chart with Blondes Have More Fun.

1978 - Van Halen released their self-titled debut studio album. Peaking at No.19 on the Billboard 200 the album went on to sell more than 10 million copies. The album contains some of Van Halen's most well-known songs, including their cover of The Kinks' 'You Really Got Me”.

1971 - singer-songwriter Carole King released her second studio album Tapestry. It is one of the best-selling albums of all time, with over 25 million copies sold worldwide. The lead single from the album 'It's Too Late'/'I Feel the Earth Move' spent five weeks at No.1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The cover photograph was taken at King's Laurel Canyon home. It shows her sitting in a window frame, holding a tapestry she hand-stitched herself, with her cat Telemachus at her feet.

1966 - The Beach Boys go to the San Diego Zoo, where they shoot the cover for Pet Sounds in the petting zoo area. In an item headlined "Animal Crackers," the San Diego Union reports that the group was banned from the zoo for unruly behavior.

02/09/2025

Music notes for Feb. 9:

Happy birthday Carole King, one of the greatest songwriters of all time. She wrote or co-wrote 118 pop hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Her 1970 US No.1 album Tapestry has sold over 15 million copies, remained on the US charts for more than six years and became a Grammy Award winner in 1971.

2015 - Bob Dylan turned the tables on his critics during a 30-minute speech, at the Musicares charity gala honouring his career. The 73-year-old, who rarely talks about his work, asked why critics complained he "can't sing" and sounds "like a frog" but do not "say that about Tom Waits?" The singer added, "Critics say my voice is shot, that I have no voice. Why don't they say those things about Leonard Cohen? Why do I get special treatment.

1964 - The Beatles made their US live debut on CBS-TV's 'The Ed Sullivan Show'; they performed five songs including their current No.1 I Want to Hold Your Hand. Never before had so many viewers tuned in to a live television program, which with 73 million viewers, was three-fourths of the total adult audience in the United States. The show had received over 50,000 applications for the 728 seats in the TV studio.

1961 - The Beatles appeared at The Cavern Club, Liverpool, for the very first time (as The Beatles), they would go on to make a total of 292 other appearances at the Club. They were paid abut $116 in today’s money for this luchtime appearance and George Harrison was nearly denied admission to play because he was wearing jeans.

Doctor Don

02/22/2025

02/21/2025

02/21/2025

02/20/2025

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02/19/2025

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02/14/2025

02/14/2025

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02/09/2025

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