Doctor Don

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Playing the Hits of the 60s, 70s & 80s

10/19/2025

Music notes for Oct. 19:

2020 - Spencer Davis, one of the key figures of the 60s music died at the age of 81. The Welsh guitarist was the driving force behind The Spencer Davis Group, who scored hits with ' Gimme Some Lovin” and “I’m a Man”. Thhe band, which also featured a teenage Stevie Winwood, toured with The Who and The Rolling Stones in the 60s.

1985 - A-Ha went to No.1 on the Usingles chart with 'Take On Me', making them the first Norwegian group to score a No.1. The video for the song featured the band in a pencil-sketch animation method called rotoscoping, combined with live action which won six awards and was nominated for two others at the 1986 MTV Video Music Awards.

1985 - Miami Sound Machine make the Hot 100 for the first time with "Conga," a song that opens doors for Latin pop and introduces America to lead singer Gloria Estefan.

1979 - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released their third album Damn the Torpedoes. It built on his two previous albums' commercial success and critical acclaim and reached No.2 on the Billboard album chart. The album featured the two hit singles 'Don't Do Me Like That” and 'Refugee'.

1979 - Prince releases his second album, Prince, containing the hit "I Wanna Be Your Lover" and the original version of "I Feel For You," later a hit for Chaka Khan. It's his first album certified Platinum for sales over 1 million.

1968 - At Liverpool University, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham perform as "The New Yardbirds" for the last time as they assume the moniker Led Zeppelin.

10/18/2025

Music notes for Oct. 18:

The late lyricist Cynthia Weil born this date. She who wrote many songs together with her husband, Barry Mann. Weil and her husband, both based at the Brill Building, were instrumental in shaping the sound of rock and roll in the 1960s writting many hits including, 'I Just Can't Help Believing', (Elvis Presley), 'On Broadway', (The Drifters), 'Running with the Night', (Lionel Richie), 'Somewhere Out There', (Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram), 'Walking in the Rain', (The Ronettes), 'You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'' co-written with Phil Spector, (The Righteous Brothers).

The late Chuck Berry born this day. Berry was one of the pioneers of rock and roll music, who helped develop rhythm and blues into the major elements that made rock and roll distinctive with songs such as 'Maybellene' (1955), 'Roll Over Beethoven' (1956), 'Rock and Roll Music' (1957), and 'Johnny B. Goode' His lyrics focusing on teen life and consumerism plus his own brand of showmanship became a major influence on subsequent rock music. A major influence on The Beatles and Rolling Stones, Berry's 'Johnny B. Goode' was one of the examples of music from Earth sent out to space. Berry died on 18 March 2017, aged 90. b
He was among those in the first class inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame.

1969 - The Jackson 5 make their national TV debut, performing "I Want You Back" on the ABC variety show Hollywood Palace.

1967 - Ode to Billie Joe the debut album by Bobbie Gentry was at No.1 on the chart. It was the only album to displace The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band from its 15-week reign at the top of the Billboard 200 album chart. The recording of the title track 'Ode to Billie Joe' generated eight Grammy nominations, resulting in three wins.

1967 - The movie How I Won The War, an antiwar satire featuring John Lennon in the role of Pvt. Gripweed, opens at London's Premiere Theatre, with all four Beatles attending.

10/17/2025

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

1 I’LL BE THERE –•– Jackson 5
2 CRACKLIN’ ROSIE –•– Neil Diamond
3 GREEN-EYED LADY –•– Sugarloaf
4 ALL RIGHT NOW –•– Free
5 WE’VE ONLY JUST BEGUN –•– The Carpenters

HIGH DEBUT OF THE WEEK: AT NO. 68 — THE TEARS OF A CLOWN –•– Smokey Robinson and the Miracles

IT WOULD GO ALL THE WAY TO NUMBER 1

10/17/2025

Music notes for Oct. 17:

Happy birthday Gary Puckett who along with his group The Union Gap had six consecutive golds record in 1968: “Woman, Woman”, “Young Girl”, “Lady Willpower”, “Over You”, “This Girl is a Woman Now” and “Don’t Give in to Him”. Gary was born in Hibbing, but moved to Yakima, Washington when he was six.

1941 - The late Jim Seals born this date. Between 1972 and 1976, Seals and Crofsts had a run of five gold albums, culminating in an double-platinum greatest hits collection. He died on 6 June 2022.

2008 - The amazing Levi Stubbs, lead singer of The Four Tops passed away. The group signed with Motown Records in 1963 and produced 20 Top 40 hits over the following 10 years, making music history with other acts in Berry Gordy's Motown stable.

1978 - Neil Diamond and Barbra Streisand record "You Don't Bring Me Flowers." The superstar session is produced by Bob Gaudio, who keeps a full orchestra standing by in the lobby.

1970 - The Jackson Five started a five-week run at No.1 on the singles chart with 'I'll Be There'. The group's fourth No.1 of 1970. Motown records claimed the group had sold over 10 million records during that year.

1964 - Manfred Mann's version of "Do Wah Diddy Diddy," written by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, hits #1 in for the first of two weeks. The song was first recorded in 1963 by the female group The Exciters, who took it to #78

10/16/2025

Music notes for Oct. 16:

2010 - Auburn University graduate student Justin Havird named a new species of fish, Lepidocephalichthys zeppelini, because the fish's pectoral fin reminded him of the double-neck guitar used by Jimmy Page. 'I'm a big Led Zeppelin fan, and I was listening to them while I was working on the fish,' Havird said. 'The structure that makes this species unique just reminded me of the guitar that Jimmy Page played.

2001 - Bob Dylan is turned away by security guards at his concert at the Jackson County Exposition Center in Oregon because he doesn't have a credential. The guards were under orders from Dylan's security director not to let anyone through without a pass. "He said no exceptions," explained the venue manager.

1976 - Stevie Wonder's 'Songs In The Key Of Life', went to No.1 on the album chart. Featuring the tracks 'Sir Duke', 'I Wish', ' and 'Isn't She Lovely', it was Wonder's third No.1 and became the best-selling and most critically acclaimed album of Wonder's career.

1975 - Bruce Springsteen begins a series of shows at The Roxy in Los Angeles, where he earns adulation from many celebrities and a glowing review in the L.A. Times. This leads to cover stories on Springsteen in both Time and Newsweek on October 27th.

1972 - Creedence Clearwater Revival split up following the failure of their most recent album, 'Mardi Gras'. After limited success as a solo act and some legal hassles with Fantasy Records, John Fogarty would have two big hits. “Center Field' and “If Man Down the Road”. John's brother Tom Fogarty died in September, 1990 and the surviving members have been touring as Creedence Clearwater Revisited.

10/15/2025

Music notes for Oct. 15:

Happy birthday Richard Carpenter, one-half of the best-selling duo of all time.

Happy birthday Barry McGuire. He hit #1 in 1965 with “Eve of Destruction”. His vocal was thrown on as a rough mix and was not intended to be the final version, but a copy of the recording "leaked" out to a DJ, who began playing it. The song was an instant hit and as a result the more polished vocal track that was at first envisioned was never recorded.

1995 - Paul and Linda McCartney were the guest voices on The Simpsons in an episode called "Lisa the Vegetarian". Macca's stipulation for appearing was that Lisa's decision to become a vegetarian would be a permanent character change, to which producer David Mirkin agreed.

1988 - Bon Jovi started a four-week run at No.1 on the album chart with their fourth release, 'New Jersey.' The album produced five Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 singles, the most top ten hits to date for a hard rock album.

1973- Dolly Parton released 'Jolene' as the first single and title track from her album of the same name. According to Parton, the song which peaked at No. 1 on the Country charts was inspired by a red-headed bank clerk who flirted with her husband Carl Dean at his local bank branch when they were newly married. 'Jolene' is the song most recorded by other artists, out of all the songs Parton has written.

1971 -Rick Nelson plays the "Rock & Roll Spectacular" concert at Madison Square Garden. When he plays some newer songs, the hit-hungry audience boos. Nelson writes the song "Garden Party" about the experience, and it becomes a hit, reviving his career

10/14/2025

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

1 ARTHUR’S THEME (Best That You Can Do) –•– Christopher Cross
2 ENDLESS LOVE –•– Diana Ross and Lionel Richie
3 START ME UP –•– The Rolling Stones
4 FOR YOUR EYES ONLY –•– Sheena Easton
5 STEP BY STEP –•– Eddie Rabbitt

HIGH DEBUT OF THE WEEK: AT NO. 56 — WHY DO FOOLS FALL IN LOVE –•– Diana Ross

IT PEAKED AT #7

10/14/2025

Music notes for Oct. 14:

Happy birthday Justin Hayward, songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist with The Moody Blues. He was only 19 when he wrote their classic “Nights in White Satin”.

2007 - The Tom Petty documentary film, Running Down A Dream, made it's debut at the New York Film Festival. The 4-hour documentary chronicled the history of the band, from its inception as Mudcrutch, right up to the 30th-anniversary concert in Petty's home town of Gainesville, Florida, on September 21, 2006.

1983 - Cyndi Lauper, formerly a member of the group Blue Angel, issues her first solo album, She's So Unusual. With the MTV hits "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" and "Time After Time," it becomes an '80s touchstone. The album was the first by a female singer to feature 4 top 10 hits.

1974 - Nashville veterans worry about the sanctity of country music when Olivia Newton-John wins Female Vocalist of the Year at the Country Music Association (CMA) Awards. She won for she song “If You Love Me Let Me Know”.

1972 - Michael Jackson went to No.1 on the Singles chart with 'Ben', his first solo No.1. From the horror movie “Willard”, Ben was not a person, but a white rat.

1967 - After 15 weeks at #1, The Beatles album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is knocked out of the top spot by Bobbie Gentry's Ode To Billie Joe.

10/13/2025

Music notes for Oct. 13:

Happy birthday John Ford Coley who along with partner scored several late 70’s hits the biggest being “I’d Really Love to See You Tonight”.

Happy birthday Sammy Hagar. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s with the hard rock band Montrose before launching a successful solo career, scoring a hit in 1984 with 'I Can't Drive 55'. He later replaced David Lee Roth in Van Halen in 1985 and left the band in 1996.

Happy birthday Robert Lamm, keyboard player one of the lead vocalists for Chicago.

Happy birthday Paul Simon. Two of his works, Sounds of Silence (1966) (as part of Simon & Garfunkel) and Graceland, were inducted into the National Recording Registry for their cultural significance. He was honoured with the Kennedy Center Honors in 2001 and the Library of Congress's Gershwin Prize in 2007.

2017 - Dolly Parton donated $1 million to the Vanderbilt University Children's Hospital in Nashville, to research pediatric infectious diseases. She announced the donation on a visit to the facility, where she performed songs from her children's album I Believe in You.

2016 - Bob Dylan was awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature, becoming the first songwriter to win the prestigious award. The 75-year-old rock legend received the prize "for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.

1984 - Stevie Wonder started a three week run at No.1 on the singles chart with 'I Just Called To Say I Love You', his 8th No.1.
It was featured in the movie “The Woman in Red”.

1979 - Michael Jackson went to No.1 on the singles chart with 'Don't Stop Till You Get Enough', his second solo No.1.

1973 - The Rolling Stones started a four week run at No.1 on the album chart with 'Goats Head Soup' the group's fourth No.1. It featured the #1 single “Angie”.

10/12/2025

Music notes for Oct. 12:

The late Sam Moore of the R&B duo Sam & Dave born this date. Recording for the legendary Stax Music record company in Memphis, their hits include “Soul Man”, “Hold On, I’m Coming, and “I Thank You”.

1997 - John Denver was killed when the handmade, experimental airplane he was flying ran out of gas and crashed off the coast of Monterey Bay, California. The 53 year old star had scored 15 songs on Billboard's Top 40 Pop chart.

1979 - Fleetwood Mac released their twelfth album Tusk, an experimental set of songs that cost the band over $1 million to record. That’s $4.5 million today. The double album peaked at No. 4 and achieved sales in excess of two million copies, spawning two Top Ten singles, 'Sara' and the title track.

1966 - The Moody Blues split up, with Denny Laine signing a solo deal with their label, Deram. The group re-forms a month later with new members Justin Hayward and John Lodge.

1965 - The Beatles began recording their sixth UK album, Rubber Soul recording takes of new songs 'Run For Your Life' and 'Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)'.

10/11/2025

Music notes for Oct. 11:

Happy birthday Daryl Hall. Along with partner John Oates they have scored 19 To 20 hits and sold an estimated 40 million albums making them the 3rd best-selling music duo of all-time behind The Carpenters and Simon & Garfunkel. Hall & Oates were inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame in 2014. Daryl Hall was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004.

2016 - Sir Rod Stewart said he was "on cloud nine" after being knighted by the Duke of Cambridge at Buckingham Palace. The singer was honoured in the Queen's birthday honours list in recognition of his services to music and charity.

1997 - Elton John went to No.1 on the singles chart with 'Candle In The Wind 97' A re-write of his 1974 hit about Marilyn Monroe. This version was raising funds for the Diana, Princess of Wales charity, following her death in Paris. It went on to become the biggest selling single in the world ever.

1975 - Saturday Night - a title later changed to Saturday Night Live - makes its debut on NBC. Music is a big part of the show, and the first episode features two musical guests performing two songs each: Janis Ian doing "At Seventeen" and "In the Winter," and Billy Preston playing "Nothing from Nothing" and "Fancy Lady."

1975 - Neil Sedaka's "Bad Blood," with backup vocals by Elton John, hits #1 for the first of three weeks.

1967 - The Doors appeared at Danbury High School, Danbury, Connecticut. Before the group came on stage an announcer told the audience not to leave their seats during the performance or they would be escorted out of the venue. There was also a beauty pageant just prior to The Doors coming on stage.

10/10/2025

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

1 A FIFTH OF BEETHOVEN –•– Walter Murphy and the Big Apple Band
2 PLAY THAT FUNKY MUSIC –•– Wild Cherry
3 LOWDOWN –•– Boz Scaggs
4 DISCO DUCK (Part 1) –•– Rick Dees and His Cast Of Idiots
5 IF YOU LEAVE ME NOW –•– Chicago

HIGH DEBUT OF THE WEEK: AT #74 — STAND TALL –•– Burton Cummings

IT WOULD PEAK AT #10

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