“Mrs. Bluebird” by Eternity’s Children is one of my top 10 favorite songs from Andrew Sandoval’s “Come to the Sunshine” podcast. How can anyone not love this? So if you don’t, please don’t tell me!
The Disc Jockey’s Disc Jockey
Dan Ingram, the greatest radio disc jockey of all time, has died. For anyone who loved Top 40 radio the way I did, the word “legendary” is inadequate to describe Big Dan’s career in the business. Getting home from school in Connecticut in the Sixties, I always looked forward to turning on the radio and hearing Ingram on Musicradio 77WABC in New York.
Los Angeles had its big name jocks, but all of them aspired to working in television. Many succeeded, mostly hosting game shows, but in New York Ingram was all about radio. With his pitch-perfect voice and snappy patter, Dan was the master of medium.
This video has a classic Dan Ingram aircheck from 52 years ago today, in the summer of ’66, a time that was one of the happiest of my life.
https://youtu.be/j4bZnbfj5OY
Top 40 radio was over and done as the dominant format by the time I was working on-air at an AM station. Sometimes I can’t believe I actually did it, but I did, and it came easily to me, thanks to the inspiration of Dan Ingram and Bruce Morrow on WABC. Thankfully, Ingram’s old buddy and colleague Cousin Brucie is still here to entertain us on Sirius/XM radio.
P.S. This is a message I sent to my sisters:
Today’s extremely sad news is the passing of legendary DJ Dan Ingram, one of the big inspirations for me getting into the business. I still have dreams about sitting behind the mic and “working the board,” which was something Big Dan and Cousin Brucie didn’t have to do, because WABC had engineers taking care of that for them.
All of the songs played on WABC were on tape cartridges, by the way. They were transferred from 45’s immediately upon receipt, so the records wouldn’t develop “cue burn,” a phenomenon that I knew well myself from “slip cueing” records on the turntables at the station.
Here is an air check with Dan that, towards the end, features Ian Whitcomb’s big hit. Which reminds me, I need to do some audio editing of Ian wishing Liz well between songs a few months ago. I’m a sponsor of his online radio show.
P.P.S. Mark Evanier’s friend Ken Levine has an interesting Southern Californian take on Ingram at this link.
The Check’s In The Mail
I have been told by the Kia dealership in Peoria, Arizona that a check for $10,700 was mailed last Wednesday, and to call them if I haven’t received it by this Wednesday. I’ll do more than that. I’ll call my lawyer in Sun City West.
When you’re buying a car they won’t let you out the door until the money has been settled. But if they’re buying your car they make you leave the sales office not only without your car, but without your money. Funny how that works.
As I continue to wait for the money — payable not to me, but to the family trust — my late father’s car is, of course, available for sale at the dealership. They’ll make a hefty profit, assuming it sells for the asking price of $15,000. Look at that low, low mileage!
Why Don’t We Do It In The Road With Plastic Mac
This video is everywhere else, but what the heck, I may as well add it here too.
The Rocking Stones
I’ve been picking away at writing a rather long article called “Back to Mono,” but rather than waiting for that, here is part of it. The entire Rolling Stones in Mono box set is available for free on YouTube! It appears to be official from Universal/ABKCO, so it isn’t some fan offering, and at the moment I’m the only one in the world who has subscribed to this incredibly great channel. How can that be?
T. Roe Price
Decades ago I enjoyed searching for musical vinyl at a long-defunct store called For the Record in Amherst, MA. They carried used records along with new releases, including imports. I bought most of my British Parlophone Beatles albums at For the Record, and some Beatles bootlegs too.
A lot of budget-priced reissues of Sixties music were coming out, and for $4.29 I bought an LP called “Tommy Roe Collectibles,” an MCA reissue of Roe’s recordings for ABC. Playing it this week for the first time in ages, I am stunned by the superb stereo sound most of the tracks have, with the exception of “Everybody,” which is presented in fake stereo. My favorite track is “It’s Now Winter’s Day,” which is nothing like the Bubblegum style that Roe is known for. “Baby It’s Cold Outside” has nothing on this one.
The best retrospective of Roe’s underrated career can be heard in outstanding mono on Andrew Sandoval’s “Come to the Sunshine” podcast at this link. Any performer who can have a #1 Pop hit in 1962 (“Sheila”) — the year the Beatles signed with Parlophone — and then have a #1 record again in 1969 (“Dizzy”) — the last year the Beatles worked together — deserves attention.