Dr. Don Michaels, Minneapolis, MN (2024)

07/16/2024

WDGY’s Doctor Don presents the Top 5 songs this week in 1967:

1 WINDY –•– The Association
2 LITTLE BIT O’ SOUL –•– The Music Explosion
3 CAN’T TAKE MY EYES OFF YOU –•– Frankie Valli
4 SAN FRANCISCO (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair) –•– Scott McKenzie
5 DON’T SLEEP IN THE SUBWAY –•– Petula Clark

HIGH DEBUT OF THE WEEK: 52 — MY MAMMY –•– The Happenings

IT WOULD PEAK AT NUMBER #13

07/16/2024

Music notes for July 16:

1996 - The Sultan of Brunei, the world's richest man, marks his 50th birthday with a Michael Jackson concert on the Borneo Island. Jackson earns about $15 million for the performance, which is free to the 60,000 in attendance.

1981 - Harry Chapin, who had success in the 70s with 'Taxi’, ‘W-O-L-D’ and a No. 1 ‘Cat’s In The Cradle’, was killed aged 38 suffering a cardiac arrest while driving on a New York expressway.

1977- Shaun Cassidy's "Da Doo Ron Ron" hits #1. The song was first recorded by the girl group The Crystals in 1963. Cassidy's version changes the line "Someboy told me that his name was Bill" to "Someboy told me that her name was Jill."

1976 - After six years, Kenny Loggins and Jim Messina decide to split up their partnership, which had three big hits in "Thinking Of You," "My Music," and "Your Mama Don't Dance."

1969 - During recordings for their Abbey Road album, The Beatles worked on two new George Harrison songs, 'Here Comes The Sun' and 'Something.' Harrison was inspired to write 'Here Comes The Sun' when taking a day off from Apple business and spending the day walking around the garden at Eric Clapton's house.

1966 - Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton formed Cream. The three piece group only lasted two years, leaving behind some classic recordings including ‘Sunshine of Your Love,’ ‘Badge,’ ‘Strange Brew,’ and ‘White Room.’

07/15/2024

Music notes for July 15:

Happy birthday Linda Ronstadt. Too many awards and accolades to list here. Selena Gomez has been cast to play Linda in a biopic that should be released next year.

2009 - 45 years after he played at the Ed Sullivan Theater with The Beatles, Paul McCartney returns to the venue to appear on The Late Show With David Letterman. Earlier in the day, McCartney plays a few songs from the theater's marquee, surprising the onlookers in Manhattan.

1980 - Linda Ronstadt makes a well-received dramatic debut in Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance in New York's Central Park, setting off a "Pirates" fad that lasts for the next three years.

1978 - The Rolling Stones started a two-week run at No.1 on the album chart with Some Girls the group's seventh No.1 album. It featured the hits “Miss You” , “Beast of Burden“ and “Shattered”.

1972 - Elton John started a five week run at No.1 on the album chart with his fifth studio album, “Honky Chateau.” The album, which marked his first chart topper, took inspiration for its title from the 18th-century French chateau (Château d'Hérouville) in which it was recorded. Two the tracks from the album, “Rocket Man” and “Honkey Cat,” were released as singles.

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07/14/2024

Music notes for July 14:

2013 - 73-year-old Tina Turner married her boyfriend of 27 years, record producer Erwin Bach on the shores of Lake Zurich in Switzerland. A few years later, Bach gave her one of his kidneys when she needed a transplant.

2007 - A pair of glasses worn by former Beatle John Lennon sparked a bidding war after being offered for sale online. The circular sunglasses were worn by Lennon during The Beatles 1966 tour of Japan, where the band played some of their last ever live dates.

1979 - Donna Summer scored her third No.1 single with 'Bad Girls.’ Her album of the same name also started a five-week run at No.1. The inspiration for her to write the song came after one of her assistants was offended by a police officer who thought she was a s*x worker.

1978 - “Foul Play”, a quirky comedy thriller starring Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase, debuts in theaters. The soundtrack boasts the Barry Manilow tune "Ready To Take A Chance Again," which is nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

1969 - The movie Easy Rider, which opens with the heavy metal thunder of "Born To Be Wild," opens in theaters. The film stars Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson as motorcycle-riding free spirits. The soundtrack sells over 500,000 copies.

1967 - The Who began their first full North American tour at the Memorial Coliseum, Portland, Oregon, appearing as support band to Herman's Hermits on 55 dates

07/13/2024

Music notes for July 13:

Happy birthday Roger McGuinn, founder and lead singer for The Byrds.

1999- Paul McCartney displayed 73 paintings at the Kunstforum Lyz gallery in the German town of Siegen. McCartney had been painting for the past 16 years.

1985 - At 12.01 Status Quo started the Live Aid extravaganza, held between Wembley Stadium, London and The JFK Stadium, Philadelphia. The cream of the world's biggest rock stars took part in the worldwide event, raising over $148 million in today’s money. TV pictures beamed to over 1.5bn people in 160 countries made it the biggest live broadcast ever known. Artists who appeared included Paul McCartney, Phil Collins, The Who, U2, David Bowie and Mick Jagger, Queen, Tina Turner, The Cars, Neil Young, Tom Petty, Bob Dylan, Bryan Adams, Hall and Oates, Lionel Richie and Led Zeppelin.

1974 - George McCrae started a two week run at No.1 on the singles chart with 'Rock Your Baby', his only No.1. Regarded by some as the first Disco No.1, it was a New York City club hit first.

1974 - Eric Clapton invites Todd Rundgren to play guitar during the encore of Clapton's concert at Madison Square Garden. Todd's guitar rig isn't working, so Clapton takes off his guitar, hands it to Todd, and steps aside to listen.

1964 - Recorded in one take, The Animals went to No.1 on the singles chart with 'The House Of The Rising Sun.'

07/12/2024

TOP 5 SONGS 1984

1 WHEN DOVES CRY –•– Prince (Warner Brothers)-7 (2 Weeks at #1) (1)
2 DANCING IN THE DARK –•– Bruce Springsteen (Columbia)-8 (2)
3 JUMP (For My Love) –•– The Pointer Sisters (Planet)-12 (3)
4 EYES WITHOUT A FACE –•– Billy Idol (Chrysalis)-11 (4)
5 THE REFLEX –•– Duran Duran (Capitol)-13 (1)

HIGH DEBUT OF THE WEEK: 56 — LIGHTS OUT –•– Peter Wolf

IT WOULD PEAK AT #12

07/12/2024

WDGY’s Doctor Don presents the Top 5 songs this week in 1984:

1 WHEN DOVES CRY –•– Prince
2 DANCING IN THE DARK –•– Bruce Springsteen
3 JUMP (For My Love) –•– The Pointer Sisters
4 EYES WITHOUT A FACE –•– Billy Idol
5 THE REFLEX –•– Duran Duran

HIGH DEBUT OF THE WEEK: 56 — LIGHTS OUT –•– Peter Wolf

IT WOULD PEAK AT #12

07/12/2024

Music notes for July 12:

The late Christine McVie from Fleetwood Mac born this date.

2012 - Steven Tyler announced that he would be leaving American Idol after two seasons, with a statement saying, "After some long hard thoughts I've decided it's time for me to let go of my mistress 'American Idol' before she boils my rabbit. I strayed from my first love, Aerosmith and I'm back but instead of begging on my hands and knees, I got two fists in the air and I'm kicking the door open with my band".

1979 - singer songwriter Minnie Riperton died of cancer aged 31. The Stevie Wonder produced 'Loving You' gave Minnie a No.1 single in 1975. She worked at Chess records singing backup for various artists such as Etta James, Fontella Bass, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters. She also sang lead for the experimental rock/soul group Rotary Connection, from 1967 to 1971. Also a member of Wonderlove in 1973, a backup group for Stevie Wonder.

1969 - One Hit Wonders Zager and Evans started a six week run at No.1 on the singles chart with 'In The Year 2525,'. The song was also No.1 in the UK, making them the only one hit wonders ever in both the US and UK singles charts.

1962 - The Rolling Stones made their live debut at the Marquee Jazz Club, London. Billed as The Rollin’ Stones, they were paid $40 for the gig, the equivalent of $428 today.

07/11/2024

Music notes for July 11:

2023 - A Michigan jury has ruled that a 2014 document found in Aretha Franklin's couch after her death was a valid will to her multi-million dollar estate. The verdict ends a nearly five-year legal squabble within the family.

2019 - Toymakers Mattel announced a new collectable David Bowie doll inspired by his signature Ziggy Stardust fashion. Dubbed Barbie as Bowie, the doll is dressed as the late singer's glam-rock alter ego, complete with a pair of red platform boots and topped with his fiery-red mullet.

1975 - Fleetwood Mac released their tenth studio album often referred to as The White Album, the first Fleetwood Mac album to feature Lindsey Buckingham as guitarist and Stevie Nicks as vocalist. The album reached number 1 on the Billboard chart over a year after entering the chart, spent 37 weeks within the top 10, and more than fifteen months within the top 40. It was the second biggest album of 1976 (behind Frampton Comes Alive! by Peter Frampton).

1971 - Relatively unknown at the time, The Bruce Springsteen Band opened for Humble Pie at the Sunshine In, Asbury Park in New Jersey. After the show an impressed Peter Frampton from Humble Pie, tells Springsteen and the band he'd like to have them open for them on a national basis. Frampton also said he would be happy to get the band an audition with his record label, A & M Records. For no logical reason Springsteen’s manager Tinker West declined both offers on the spot.

1969 - David Bowie's "Space Oddity" single is rush-released to beat the moon landing, which happens nine days later.

07/10/2024

Music notes for July 10:

2019 - Bob Dylan super-fan Bill Pagel purchased the ultimate rock collectible: the Hibbing, Minnesota house where Dylan lived from 1948 to 1959. He bought the 1,600 square foot home from Gregg and Donna French, who had lived there since 1990 for $84,000. Pagel, a pharmacist in his late seventies, has run the Bob Dylan essential fan website boblinks.com since 1995.

2000 - A much-ballyhooed Supremes "reunion" tour, "Return To Love," which features ONLY Diana Ross from the original group, is canceled after initial ticket sales don't match expectations. Big surprise.

1985 - Tina Turner stars Auntie Entity opposite Mel Gibson in the post-apocalyptic action flick Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. Turner sings two hit songs for the movie: "One Of The Living" and "We Don't Need Another Hero."

1976 - One Hit Wonders Starland Vocal Band started a two week run at No.1 on the singles chart with 'Afternoon Delight'.

1968 - Eric Clapton announced that Cream would break-up after their current tour. The group's third album, Wheels of Fire, was the world's first platinum-selling double album and Cream are widely regarded as being the world's first successful supergroup.

1967 - Kenny Rogers leaves the The New Christy Minstrels and forms The First Edition, who have a hit the next year with "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)."

1964 - 200,000 Liverpudlians took to the streets to celebrate The Beatles return to Liverpool for the northern premiere of the group's first film 'A Hard Day's Night.' The group were honored in a public ceremony in front of Liverpool Town Hall.

07/09/2024

WDGY’s Doctor Don presents the Top 5 songs this week in 1977

1 UNDERCOVER ANGEL –•– Alan O’Day
2 DA DOO RON RON –•– Shaun Cassidy
3 LOOKS LIKE WE MADE IT –•– Barry Manilow
4 GONNA FLY NOW (Theme From “Rocky”) –•– Bill Conti
5 I JUST WANT TO BE YOUR EVERYTHING –•– Andy Gibb

HIGH DEBUT OF THE WEEK : Don’t Stop/Fleetwood Mac at #72.

It would peak at #3

07/09/2024

Music notes for July 9:

1983 - The Police started an eight week run at No.1 on singles chart with 'Every Breath You Take'. Taken from the bands album Synchronicity, Sting won Song of the Year and The Police won Best Pop Performance for the song at the 1984 Grammy Awards.

1978 - Andy Gibb and his brothers, the Bee Gees, perform together for the first time when Barry, Robin and Maurice join him at his concert in Miami to sing his hit "Shadow Dancing," which they wrote together.

1972 - Paul McCartney and Wings kicked off their first European tour in the small French town of Ollioules (Population less than 9,000). The band included Denny Laine, Denny Seiwell, Henry McCullough and Paul's wife, Linda. It was McCartney's first time on the road since The Beatles quit touring in 1966. The band travelled on a double Decker London bus with a psychedelic interior.

1971 - Grand Funk play to a sold-out crowd of 55,000 at Shea Stadium in New York City. They have no hit singles, but are well known in the area thanks to a block-long billboard that ran in Times Square for much of the previous year.

1955 - Bill Haley & His Comets' "Rock Around The Clock" becomes the first Rock song to hit #1 on the Billboard Pop chart, where it stays for eight weeks. The song became a massive hit after it appeared in the film Blackboard Jungle.

07/08/2024

Music notes for July 8:

2023 - Elton John told his millions of fans that they would remain in his "head, heart and soul" when concluding his marathon farewell tour at Sweden's Tele2 Arena in Stockholm. Elton closed the show with one of his biggest hits - 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road'. His Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour began in North America in 2018, and this was his second night performing in Stockholm.

2007 - Prince was forced off stage by police halfway through his set at the First Avenue nightclub during a late-night gig in his home town of Minneapolis. The club was only allowed to stay open until 3.am but Prince took to the stage at 2.45am. The singer had already played two concerts in Minneapolis before his late-night club appearance; His first performance was at a department store, where he promoted his new cologne with a nine-song, 45-minute set

1978 - Gerry Rafferty's album City To City went to No.1 on the chart, knocking off 'Saturday Night Fever', which had been at the top of the charts for almost six months.

1972 - Bill Withers started a three week run at No.1 on the singles chart with 'Lean On Me', his only No.1 hit.

1967 - In Jacksonville, Jimi Hendrix opens for The Monkees in a musical train wreck. Hendrix plays seven more shows with the pop stars before leaving the tour. He was told his music was suitable for a teenybopper audience.

07/07/2024

Music notes for July 7

Happy birthday Ringo Starr!

2015 - Climate scientists from five leading universities found that 163 of Bob Dylan's 542 songs reference the climate – almost a third – making him the musician most likely to mention the weather in his lyrics. The Beatles came in at number two, mentioning the weather in 48 of the 308 songs they wrote.

2010 - Paul McCartney joined Ringo Starr onstage at a concert at New York's Radio City Music Hall to help celebrate the former Beatle drummer's 70th birthday. With Ringo's All Starr Band joined by Yoko Ono, Joe Walsh, Angus Young and Steven Van Zandt, Paul belted out "Birthday" and Ringo delivered With a Little Help from My Friends.

1984 - Bruce Springsteen went to No.1 on the album chart with 'Born In The USA'. The album went on to spend a total of 139 weeks on the chart. Its also one of three albums (Michael Jackson's Thriller and Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814) to produce seven Top-ten singles.

1984 - Prince started a five week run at No.1 on the singles chart with 'When Doves Cry', his first No.1 which went on to sell over 2 million copies.

1971 - 26-year-old pop star Bjorn Ulvaeus and 21-year-old Agnetha Faltskog married in Verum, Sweden. 3000 ABBA fans arrived and in the chaos a police horse stepped on the brides foot, causing her slight injury.

1969- John Lennon releases "Give Peace A Chance", a song he and Yoko, along with a chorus of guests, recorded at their "bed-in" in a Montreal hotel room.

1968 - The Yardbirds disband immediately after a on cert in Luton, England. Jimmy Page begins forming what will become Led Zeppelin.

07/06/2024

Music notes for July 6:

2020 - singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Charlie Daniels died age 83. He is best known for his contributions to Southern rock, country, and bluegrass music and scored the 1979 number 3 hit 'The Devil Went Down to Georgia' .

1985 - Phil Collins went to No.1 on the singles chart with 'Sussudio', his third No.1. The track was taken from his third solo studio album, No Jacket Required.

1984 - The Jacksons kicked off their North American Victory tour at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City. Over 2 million people attended the 55 concerts which grossed over $75 million. That’s $225 million in today’s money. Michael Jackson donated $15 million to various charities.

1968 - The Rolling Stones scored their fifth No.1 single when 'Jumpin Jack Flash' hit the top of the charts. Keith Richards has stated that he and Jagger wrote the lyrics while staying at Richards' country house, where they were awoken one morning by the sound of gardener Jack Dyer walking past the window. When Jagger asked what the noise was, Richards responded: "Oh, that's Jack – that's jumpin' Jack."

1957 - John Lennon and Paul McCartney met for the first time at The Woolton Church Parish Fete where The Quarry Men were appearing. As The Quarry Men were setting up for their evening performance, McCartney eager to impress Lennon picked up a guitar and played ‘Twenty Flight Rock’ (Eddie Cochran) and ‘Be-Bop-A-Lula’ (Gene Vincent). Lennon was impressed, and even more so when McCartney showed Lennon and Eric Griffiths how to tune their guitars, something they'd been paying someone else to do for them.

07/05/2024

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

1 THE LOVE YOU SAVE –•– Jackson 5
2 MAMA TOLD ME (Not To Come) –•– Three Dog Night
3 BALL OF CONFUSION –•– The Temptations
4 THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD –•– The Beatles
5 HITCHIN’ A RIDE –•– Vanity Fare

The high debut of the week coming on at #82: “Everthing a Man Could Need“ by Glen Campbell. It was the movie “Norwood” in which he starred.

Peaked at #52.

07/05/2024

Music notes for July 5:

Happy birthday Huey Lewis.

The late Robbie Robertson born this date. Canadian musician, songwriter, film composer, producer, actor. He joined The Hawks in 1962 who became known as The Band. Bob Dylan and the Hawks toured the United States throughout 1965 and a world tour the following year. As a songwriter, Robertson is credited for writing 'The Weight', 'The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down', 'Up on Cripple Creek', 'Broken Arrow' and 'Somewhere Down the Crazy River'.

1974 - Linda Ronstadt records her breakthrough hit "You're No Good" at the Sound Factory in Hollywood with producer Peter Asher. It becomes her only #1 record.

1969 - The Rolling Stones gave a free concert in London's Hyde Park before an audience of 250,000, as a tribute to Brian Jones who had died two days earlier. Mick Jagger read an extract from Percy Bysshe Shelley's 'Adonais' and released 3,500 butterflies.

1965 - Marty Balin and Paul Kantner formed a Folk-Rock group that would evolve into the Jefferson Airplane, the premier San Francisco psychedelic band of the late '60s. The Airplane made its debut the following month at a Haight-Ashbury club, and was signed to RCA later in the year.

07/04/2024

Music notes for July 4th:

Happy birthday John Waite, lead singer of the group The Babys. Their 70’s hits were “Isn’t it Time” and “Every Time I Think of You”. John had a big solo hit in 1984 with “Missing You”.

The late Bill Withers born this date. Hits included “Ain’t No Sunshine”, “Lean on Me”, “Use Me”, “Just the Two of Us” and “Lovely Day. He was inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame in 2015.

2008 - The movie Mamma Mia!, featuring the music of ABBA and based on the musical, opens in Sweden where the group attends the screening.

2003 - Singer, songwriter, producer and of course great singer Barry White passed away at age 58.

1982 - Neil Diamond sees the movie E.T. along with the songwriters Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager. That night, they write the song "Heartlight" based on the film.

1974 - Despite the fact that they have the No.4 song with 'Rikki Don't Lose That Number' and a current Platinum album with Pretzel Logic, Steely Dan's Walter Becker and Donald Fagan play their final gig together in Santa Monica, California. They would not tour again for the next eighteen years.

1970 - Casey Kasem debuts the radio show American Top 40, where he counts down the Billboard hits (the #1 song: "Mama Told Me (Not to Come)" by Three Dog Night).

1964 - Seems fitting that this happened on the 4th of July. The Beach Boys started a two week run at No.1 on the singles chart with 'I Get Around', the group's first No.1.

07/03/2024

Music notes for July 3:

The late Laura Brannigan born this date. Her 80’s hits included “Gloria”, “Self Control” and “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You”

2012 - Kiss announced that they were set to release a guitar size book containing unseen photographs from their 40-year career. The limited edition called Monster would have a $4,299 price tag and at 3 feet tall, 2.5 feet wide, was reported to be the largest music book ever published.

1975 - Labelle is the first Black vocal group to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone. Donning s*xy space-age costumes, the "Lady Marmalade" hitmakers are given the tagline "Comin' Comin' Comin' To Getcha."

1971 - Jim Morrison of The Doors is found dead in a bathtub at age 27. No autopsy is performed, and while drugs are suspected, the official cause is listed as "heart attack induced by respiratory problems."

1969 - Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones is found dead in his swimming pool in England. The death is ruled accidental, although Jones, 27, has high levels of alcohol in his blood.

1968 - At an impromptu gathering at Joni Mitchell's house in Lookout Mountain, Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles, David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash played together for the very first time. The trio went on to form Crosby, Stills and Nash.

07/02/2024

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

1 SILLY LOVE SONGS –•– Wings
2 AFTERNOON DELIGHT –•– The Starland Vocal Band
3 MISTY BLUE –•– Dorothy Moore
4 SARA SMILE –•– Daryl Hall and John Oates
5 SHOP AROUND –•– The Captain and Tennille

HIGH DEBUT OF THE WEEK: 59 — LET ‘EM IN –•– Wings

IT WOULD PEAK AT #3

07/02/2024

Music notes for July 2:

2001 - Liverpool Airport at Speke was renamed John Lennon Airport. Yoko Ono was present to unveil a new logo that included the late Beatle's famous self-portrait and the words, 'Above Us Only Sky' taken from his Imagine album.

1988 - Michael Jackson became the first artist to have five number one singles from one album when ‘Dirty Diana’ went to the top of the charts. The other four chart-toppers from the LP ‘Bad’ were the title track, ‘I Just Can't Stop Loving You’, ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’ and ‘Man in the Mirror’.

1980 - Sheena Easton is featured on the BBC show The Big Time, which follows regular people trying to achieve their dreams. With visions of stardom as a singer, she is seen auditioning for EMI, who are suitably impressed and sign her to a deal. Her single "9 To 5" becomes a UK hit two months later and conquers America a year later.

1969 - Barbra Streisand starts a month-long run of shows to open the new 2000-seat theater at the International Hotel in Las Vegas. She's breaking in the venue for Elvis Presley, who starts a run of shows there on July 31.

07/01/2024

Music notes for July 1:

Happy birthday Debbie Harry from Blondie.

1979 - Sony introduced the Walkman, the first portable audio cassette player. Over the next 30 years they sold over 385 million Walkmans in cassette, CD, mini-disc and digital file versions, and were the market leaders until the arrival of Apple's iPod and other new digital devices.

1975 - 10cc were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'I'm Not In Love'. Known for its innovative and distinctive backing track, composed mostly of the band's multitracked vocals, it reached No.2 on the US chart. The song's writer Eric Stewart created loops of about 12 feet in length and spent three weeks recording the band singing "ah" 16 times for each note of the chromatic scale, building up a "choir" of 48 voices for each note of the scale. Having created twelve tape loops for each of the 12 notes of the chromatic scale, Stewart played each loop through a separate channel of the mixing desk resulting in the constant background of vocals heard throughout the song.

1972 - Neil Diamond went to No.1 on the singles chart with 'Song Sung Blue', his second No.1.

1967 - The Beatles started a 15 week run at No.1 on the album chart with Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the group's 10th No.1 album. Recorded over a 129-day period beginning in December 1966, the album widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time, includes songs such as 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' and 'A Day in the Life”.

1966 - Bob Dylan releases the "thin, wild mercury" sound of Blonde on Blonde, rock's first double album. Minds are blown.

06/30/2024

Music notes for June 30:

1984 - Bruce Springsteen's 'Dancing In The Dark' peaked at No.2 on the Chart, the first of six singles from his seventh studio album Born In The U.S.A. which all hit the Top 10.

1984 - The Huey Lewis & the News album Sports claims a week at #1. It's one of just five albums to top the chart in 1984, the others being Thriller, Purple Rain, Born in the U.S.A., and the Footloose soundtrack.

1977 - Marvel Comics launched a comic book based on the rock group Kiss. Blood from each band member was drawn by a registered nurse, witnessed by a notary public, and poured into the vats of red ink used for printing the comic at Marvel's Borden Ink plant in Depew, New York.

1975 - The Jackson Five announced that they were leaving Motown Records for Epic Records. The brothers were forced to change their name to The Jacksons since Motown owned the other name.

1973 - George Harrison knocked Paul McCartney‘ “My Love”from the top of the singles chart with 'Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth)’. His second No.1, it was the opening track on his 1973 album Living in the Material World.

06/29/2024

Music notes for June 29:

Happy birthday Colin Hay, lead singer of the Australian band Men at Work.

1995 - Ringo Starr's first-ever TV commercial, for Pizza Hut, debuts in the US, as does a similar spot by the newly re-formed Monkees.

1985 - David Bowie and Mick Jagger recorded a version of the Martha Reeves and the Vandellas 1964 hit 'Dancing In The Street' for the forthcoming Live Aid fundraising event. The original plan was to perform a track together live, with Bowie performing at Wembley Stadium and Jagger at John F. Kennedy Stadium, until it was realised that the satellite link-up would cause a half-second delay that would make this impossible unless either Bowie or Jagger mimed their contribution, something neither artist was willing to do.

1984 - Bruce Springsteen kicked off the first leg of his Born in the USA Tour with a three night run at the Civic Center in St. Paul.
During Clarence Clemons' sax solo, he brings 19-year-old Courteney Cox on stage to dance with him.

1963 - A Bob Dylan song charts for the first time when Peter, Paul and Mary's cover of "Blowin' In The Wind" enters the Hot 100 at #86. In August, it climbs to #2, introducing many listeners to Dylan's music.

1963 - Del Shannon's cover of The Beatles' "From Me to You" enters the Hot 100 at #96, becoming the first Lennon-McCartney composition to chart in America. Shannon's version peaks at #77;

06/28/2024

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

1 BETTE DAVIS EYES –•– Kim Carnes
2 MEDLEY: INTRO VENUS/SUGAR SUGAR/NO REPLY/I’LL BE BACK/DRIVE MY CAR/
DO YOU WANT TO KNOW A SECRET/WE CAN WORK IT OUT/I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN
BETTER/NOWHERE MAN/YOU’RE GOING TO LOSE THAT GIRL—– Stars On 45
3 SUKIYAKI –•– A Taste Of Honey
4 A WOMAN NEEDS LOVE (Just Like You Do) –•– Ray Parker, Jr. and Raydio
5 ALL THOSE YEARS AGO –•– George Harrison

HIGH DEBUT OF THE WEEK: 75 — (There’s) NO GETTIN’ OVER ME –•– Ronnie Milsap

IT WOULD PEAK AT #5

06/28/2024

Music notes for June 28:

1997 - The Pink Floyd album The Dark Side Of The Moon spent its 1056th week on the album chart. It was rumoured at the time that if the album was played while watching The Wizard of Oz movie, and started exactly when the MGM lion roared the third time during the movie's intro, very interesting connections could be made between the two.

1980 - The Paul McCartney single 'Coming Up' became one of the few 'live' recordings to reach the top of Billboard's Hot 100. DJ’s preferred it to the studio version on the flip side of the record.

1975 - The Eagles started a five-week run at No.1 on the album chart with their fourth studio album 'One Of These Nights'. The album which became their breakthrough album released three Top 10 singles, 'Lyin' Eyes', (which won a Grammy), 'Take It To The Limit' and the title track.

1973 - The Helen Reddy Show summer replacement TV series debuts on NBC. The eight episodes featured some great musical guests including The Eagles, The Pointer Sisters, Seals & Crofts, The Temptations, Anne Murray, Billy Preston and Chuck Berry.

1968- Jefferson Airplane make the cover of Life magazine under the headline: "Jefferson Airplane, Top Rock Group, With Music That's Hooked the Whole Vibrating World."

1968 - Aretha Franklin appears on the cover of Time magazine under the banner, "The Sound Of Soul."

06/27/2024

Music notes for June 27:

Happy birthday Bruce Johnston. Bruce Johnston, vocals, guitar, The Beach Boys. In 1965, Johnston joined the band for live performances, filling in for the group's co-founder Brian Wilson. He wrote the No.1 Barry Manilow hit 'I Write the Songs' and also sang on the recordings for Elton John's 'Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me' and several songs on Pink Floyd's album The Wall.

2002 - John Entwhistle, long-time bass player for The Who, passes away in Las Vegas.

1970 - The Jackson Five started a two week run at No.1 on the singles chart with 'The Love You Save', the group's third No.1 of the year.

1968 - Elvis appeared on an NBC TV show that was billed as his "comeback special". The show featured the king performing on a small, square stage, surrounded by a mostly female audience. Presley was outfitted in black leather and performed many of his early hits.

1964 - Peter and Gordon went to No.1 on the singles chart with the John Lennon and Paul McCartney song 'A World Without Love'. Peter Asher went on to become James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt's manager.