Doctor Don

Doctor Don Weekday mornings 7-10am on WDGY
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Playing the Hits of the 60s, 70s & 80s

12/04/2025

Music notes for Dec. 4th:

The late Dennis Wilson born this date. Wilson, who co-founded The Beach Boys. He is best remembered as their drummer and as the middle brother of bandmates Brian and Carl Wilson. He sang lead on the single “Do You Wanna Dance. He died in a surfing accident in 1983.

Happy birthday Chris Hillman, one of the founders of The Byrds for whom he played bass guitar. He went on to become a member of The Flying Burrito Brothers and later The Souther, Hillman, Furay Band.

2015 - A new statue of The Beatles was unveiled in Liverpool - 50 years after their last show in Merseyside. The bronze sculpture, by Andy Edwards which weighed 1.2 tonnes, had been given to the city by The Cavern Club the venue synonymous with the Fab Four in the 1960s.

1988 - Roy Orbison played his final ever gig when he appeared in Cleveland. The last song he performed was “Running Scared”. Orbison died of a heart attack two days later.

1980 - Two months after the tragic death of drummer John Bonham Led Zeppelin made decision to break up. The surviving members decided that it was not right to tamper with their legacy by bringing someone else in to play drums. In a statement, the band explained their decision: "We wish it to be known, that the loss of our dear friend and the deep respect we have for his family, together with the deep sense of undivided harmony felt by ourselves and our manager, have led us to decide that we could not continue as we were. They never fully re-form, but do play some shows with Jason Bonham filling in for his father.

1965 - The Byrds' "Turn! Turn! Turn!" hits #1 for the first of three weeks. Written by folk singer Pete Seeger, its lyrics come from the Bible's book of Ecclesiastes.

1964 - In the UK, The Beatles released their fourth album 'Beatles For Sale'. The album featured: ‘No Reply’, ‘I'm a Loser’, ‘Baby's in Black’, ‘Rock and Roll Music’, ‘I'll Follow the Sun’, ‘Mr. Moonlight’, ‘Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey Hey’, ‘Eight Days a Week’, ‘Words of Love’, ‘Honey Don't’, ‘Every Little Thing’, ‘I Don't Want to Spoil the Party’, ‘What You're Doing’, and ‘Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby’.

12/03/2025

Music notes for Dec. 3:

Happy birthday Mickey Thomas. He sang lead on several Jefferson Starship songs including “Jane”. He also sang lead on Elvin Bishop’s hit “Fooled Around and Fell in Love”.

2007 - Diana Ross and the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson were both celebrated at the Kennedy Center Honors, attended by President Bush. Hootie and the Blowfish paid tribute to Brian Wilson with a medley of some of the Beach Boys' best-known songs.

1988 - Carole King and Gerry Goffin receive a Lifetime Achievement award from the US National Academy of Songwriters.

1976 - An estimated three and a half million people applied for ABBA's forthcoming British Royal Albert Hall concerts, there were just over 11 thousand tickets available.

1971 - Deep Purple arrive in Montreux, Switzerland to record their Machine Head album at the Montreux Casino. It doesn't go as planned: The casino burns down the next day and they end up recording in a hotel using the Rolling Stones' mobile unit. They tell the tale in the song "Smoke On The Water which became a huge hit in 1973.

1969 - The Rolling Stones recorded 'Brown Sugar' at Muscle Shoals studios during three days of recording sessions. The song was written by Mick Jagger with Marsha Hunt in mind; Hunt was Jagger's secret girlfriend and mother of his first child Karis. The song was not released until 1971 due to legal wranglings with the band's former label. It became a No.1 hit.

1966 - The Monkees made their live debut at the International Arena, Honolulu. The massive success of the TV series and its spin-off records had created intense pressure to mount a touring version of the group. About 8,000 screaming fans show up for the performance confirming their status as real-life superstars.

12/02/2025

WDGY’s Doctor Don presents the Top 5 songs this week in 1978:

1 YOU DON’T BRING ME FLOWERS –•– Barbra Streisand & Neil Diamond
2 MacARTHUR PARK –•– Donna Summer
3 HOW MUCH I FEEL –•– Ambrosia
4 LE FREAK –•– Chic
5 I JUST WANNA STOP –•– Gino Vannelli

HIGH DEBUT OF THE WEEK AT #78 — GOT TO BE REAL –•– Cheryl Lynn

IT WOULD GO TO #12

12/02/2025

Music notes for Dec. 2:

2012 - Led Zeppelin receive the prestigious Kennedy Center for their honor for their significant contribution to American culture and the arts. Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page were dressed in black suits and bow ties.

1983 - MTV aired the full 14-minute version of Michael Jackson's Thriller video for the first time. Now regarded as the most influential pop music video of all time, in 2009, the video was inducted into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress, the first music video to ever receive this honor, for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant.

1978 - 'You Don’t Bring Me Flowers' by Barbra Streisand and Neil Diamond hit No. 1 thanks in large part to an edit of the song that began at WAKY Radio in Louisville, Kentucky. Program Director, Gary Guthrie, had spliced together the two solo versions of the song as a “going-away gift” for his wife during their divorce. The emotional duet struck a chord with listeners, and WAKY quickly put it into regular rotation. Requests exploded, and stations nationwide began airing Guthrie’s version as word spread. The attention pushed Columbia Records to produce an official duet, pairing Diamond and Streisand in the studio.

1972 - The Temptations "Papa Was A Rolling Stone" hits #1. Running 6:58, it's one of the longest chart-topping singles.

1972 - Steely Dan make the Billboard 200 for the first time when their debut album, Can't Buy a Thrill, lands at #197. It would peak at #17. The title comes from the Bob Dylan song "It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry," where he sings: Well, I ride on a mailtrain, baby Can't buy a thrill.

1967 - The Monkees album, ‘Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones Ltd’ went to No.1 on the album chart. It was their fourth album to sell over a million copies, following ‘The Monkees’, ‘More Of The Monkees’ and ‘Headquarters’.

Music notes for Dec. 1:Happy birthday The Divine Miss M, Bette Midler. She had the 1989 single 'Wind Beneath my Wings'. ...
12/01/2025

Music notes for Dec. 1:

Happy birthday The Divine Miss M, Bette Midler. She had the 1989 single 'Wind Beneath my Wings'. She won Grammy Awards for Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for The Rose, based on the life of Janis Joplin and won Record of the Year for 'Wind Beneath my Wings'. She was also nominated for an Oscar for her role in “The Rose”.

Happy birthday Gilbert O’Sullivan. His 70’s hits were “Alone Again, Naturally”, “Claire” and “Get Down”.

The late Lou Rawls born this date. His smooth jazzy vocals can be heard on the 70’s hits “You‘ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine” and “Lady Love”.

The late Billy Paul born this date. He hit #1 in 1972 with “Me and Mrs. Jones”.

1973 - The Carpenters went to No.1 on the singles chart with 'Top Of The World', becoming the duo's second of three No.1 singles, following '(They Long to Be) Close to You' and preceding 'Please Mr. Postman.' Country singer Lynn Anderson covered the song and her version became her first hit when it reached No.2 on the country singles charts in mid-1973.

1972 - After a 15-year career, Motown group Martha & The Vandellas gave their farewell performance in their hometown of Detroit.

1958- Life magazine becomes the first major publication to print the phrase "teen idol" when they use it to describe their cover subject, Ricky Nelson.

11/30/2025

Music notes for Nov. 30:

Happy birthday British rocker Billy Idol. Among his hits are Mony, Mony, “Eyes without a Face” and “White Wedding”.

The late Rob Grill, lead singer on all those Grass Roots born this date. The band scored 14 Top 40 hits.

The late Dick Clark, host of TV's longest running music show American Bandstand born this date. He also created and produced the annual American Music Awards show. Clark died on April 18, 2012.

2022 - Christine McVie died of a stroke at the age of 79. She was the keyboardist and one of the vocalists and songwriters of Fleetwood Mac. She initially began working with Fleetwood Mac as a session player in 1968, before officially joining the band two years later. Eight songs she wrote or co-wrote, including 'Don't Stop', 'Everywhere' and 'Little Lies', appeared on Fleetwood Mac's 1988 Greatest Hits album.

2012 - Glen Campbell played the very last live performance of his lifetime when he appeared at Uptown Theatre in Napa, California. Campbell revealed his Alzheimer's diagnosis to the public in 2011, and had set out on his Goodbye Tour as a way to say farewell to his fans..

1982 - Michael Jackson's Thriller album was released. It became the biggest selling pop album of all time, with sales over 66 million copies. Seven singles were released from the album, including 'Beat It', which featured guitarists Eddie Van Halen and Steve Lukather on 'Billie Jean'.

1979- Pink Floyd's album The Wall is released, seeing out the '70s in spectacular fashion as it sells over 13 million copies. It even a #1 single - "Another Brick In The Wall (part II).

1971 - Sly And The Family Stone were at No.1 on the singles chart with 'Family Affair', their fourth and final No.1.

1969 - The Monkees made what would be their last live appearance for 15 years when they played at The Oakland Coliseum.

1969 - Neil Diamond makes his only appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, where he performs "Sweet Caroline" and "Holly Holy."

1968 - Glen Campbell started a five-week run at No.1 on the album chart with 'Wichita Lineman.' Jimmy Webb's inspiration for the lyrics came while driving through Wash*ta County in northern Oklahoma. Webb was driving through an endless litany of telephone poles, each looking exactly the same as the last. Then, in the distance, he noticed the silhouette of a solitary lineman atop a pole. Webb then "put himself atop that pole and put that phone in his hand" as he considered what the lineman was saying into the receiver.

11/29/2025

Music notes for Nov. 29:

Happy birthday Felix Cavaliere, lead singer on the majority of The Rascals hits. The band entered the Rock Hall of Fame in 1997.

The late Denny Doherty of The Mamas & The Papas born this date. They entered the Rock Hall in 1998.

Flugelhorn player, trumpeter and composer Chuck Mangione, who had the 1978 No.4 single, 'Feels So Good’ Born this date.
He passed away in July.

2001 - George Harrison died in Los Angeles aged 58. Following the breakup of The Beatles Harrison had a successful career as a solo artist and later as part of the Traveling Wilburys. The youngest member of The Beatles, (aged 16 when he joined), his compositions include ‘Taxman’, ‘Here Comes the Sun’, ‘Something’, and ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’. Harrison released the acclaimed triple album, All Things Must Pass, in 1970, from which came the worldwide No.1 single 'My Sweet Lord.'

1986 - "You Give Love A Bad Name" by Bon Jovi goes to #1 giving the group their first big hit. It's written by group leaders Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora along with an outside writer, Desmond Child.

1975 - Silver Convention's "Fly, Robin, Fly" hits #1 in for the first of three weeks. The disco tune has very few lyrics because the German group can't speak English

1969 - The Beatles went to No.1 on the singles chart with Come Together / Something', which became the group's 18th No.1. Lennon was inspired by Timothy Leary's campaign for governor of California titled "Come together, join the party" against Ronald Reagan giving him the idea for the track. ’Something’ was the first Beatles song written by George Harrison to appear as an A-side.

11/28/2025

WDGYs Doctor Don presents the Top 5 songs this week in 1983

1 ALL NIGHT LONG (All Night) –•– Lionel Richie
2 SAY SAY SAY –•– Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson
3 UPTOWN GIRL –•– Billy Joel
4 ISLANDS IN THE STREAM –•– Kenny Rogers with Dolly Parton
5 CUM ON FEEL THE NOIZE –•– Quiet Riot

HIGH DEBUT OF THE WEEK- AT #57 — RUNNING WITH THE NIGHT –•– Lionel Richie

IT PEAKED AT NUMBER 7

11/28/2025

Music notes for Nov. 28:

Happy birthday Motown co-founder Berry Gordy. He founded the company in 1959 with royalties he earned from writing songs for Jackie Wilson and other artists.

1987 - Taken from the film 'Dirty Dancing', the Jennifer Warnes' duet with Bill Medley '(I've Had) The Time Of My Life', went to No.1 on the singles chart.

1974 - John Lennon makes his last concert appearance when he joins Elton John on stage at Madison Square Garden, reciprocating for Elton's appearance on "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night" and making good on a bet he lost: Elton wagered that "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night" would hit #1 in the US, and when it did, Lennon owed the appearance. The pair perform that song and also do The Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There" and "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds."

1964 - The Shangri-Las went to No.1 on the singles chart with 'Leader Of The Pack’.

1960 - Elvis started a six week run at No.1 on the singles chart with 'Are You Lonesome Tonight', his third No.1 of 1960. The single included a spoken passage loosely based on Shakespeare.

11/27/2025

Music notes for Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27:

The late great Jimi Hendrix born this date. Hendrix moved to England in late 1966, after bassist Chas Chandler of the Animals became his manager. His third and final studio album Electric Ladyland (1968) peaked at No.1. Hendrix who is widely considered to be the greatest guitarist in musical history, made appearances at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, the iconic 1969 Woodstock Festival and the 1970 Isle Of Wight Festival. He was one of the first guitarists to make extensive use of tone-altering effects units in mainstream rock, such as fuzz distortion.

The late singer Eddie Rabbit born this date. He wrote the Elvis hit “Kentucky Rain”. Among his hits are ”Driving My Life Away”, “I Love a Rainy Night” and “Suspicions”. In all, he placed more than 30 songs on he Billboard Country charts.

1986 - Bon Jovi were at No.1 on the singles chart with 'You Give Love A Bad Name'. Released as the first single from the album Slippery When Wet, in 2009 it was named the 20th-greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1.

1982 - Lionel Richie was No.1 in the with 'Truly'. Richie achieved a No.1 each year from 78-86 as a writer, 'Three Times A Lady', 'Still', 'Lady (Kenny Rodgers), 'Endless Love', (Diana Ross), 'All Night Long', 'Hello' 'Say 'You Say Me and as co-writer of We Are The World.

1970 - George Harrison released All Things Must Pass which includes the hit singles 'My Sweet Lord' and 'What Is Life', as well as songs such as 'Isn't It a Pity' and the title track that had been turned down for inclusion on releases by the Beatles. The triple album would go on to be certified 6x Platinum by the RIAA, making it the best selling album by a solo Beatle.

11/26/2025

Music notes for Nov. 26:

The late great Queen of Rock Tina Turner born this date. During her amazing career she had 25 Top 40 hits. She was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice: first with Ike Turner in 1991 and again as a solo artist in 2021.

Happy birthday John McVie, bass guitarist and co-founder of Fleetwood Mac. Jon was married to the late Christine McVie from 1968 to 1976.

Happy birthday Jean Terrell. She replaced Diana Ross as the lead singer of The Supremes when Diana left the group. She is featured on the post-Diana hits “Up the Ladder to the Roof”, “Stoned Love”, ”Nathan Jones” and “Floy Joy“.

1994 - The Eagles started a two-week run at No.1 on the album chart with 'Hell Freezes Over.' The album name is in reference to a quote by Don Henley after the band's breakup in 1980; he commented that the band would play together again.

1967 - The promotional film of The Beatles 'Hello, Goodbye' was aired on The Ed Sullivan show. It was never shown at the time in the UK due to a musician's union ban on lip-synching.

1962 - The Beatles recorded their second single ‘Please Please Me’ in 18 takes and ‘Ask Me Why’ for the flip side at EMI studio’s London. When released in the US on the Vee-Jay label, the

11/25/2025

WDGYs Doctor Don presents the Top 5 Songs this week in 1973:

1 PHOTOGRAPH –•– Ringo Starr
2 KEEP ON TRUCKIN’ Part 1) –•– Eddie Kendricks
3 TOP OF THE WORLD –•– The Carpenters
4 SPACE RACE –•– Billy Preston
5 HEARTBEAT-IT’S A LOVEBEAT –•– The DeFranco Family Featuring Tony DeFranco

HIGH DEBUT OF THE WEEK: AT #66 — HELEN WHEELS –•– Paul McCartney and Wings

IT WOULD PEAK AT #10

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