Time Machine week 7

The whooshing noise slows, and we open the door to find ourselves in January 9, 1962- 127 days BEFORE the actual start of the Martin Era (AKA my birth).  We look around for what's going on today, and watch the first shipment of Agent Orange land in Saigon, Cuba and the Soviet Union sign their first trade pact, and- most world shakingly- grabbing the face mask becomes an NFL penalty.

From our "Refs unclear on the concept" file.

Welcome to a special Time Machine from the week that brought us our first listen to the Kingston Trio singing Where Have All The Flowers Gone.  This week- the 4th annual Time Machine Beauty Contest!  Also this week, the lady with three names who leads us on our six degrees journey; an unknown hit that actually played (I am told) on the Dick Van Dyke show; and a special remake on the shuffle top ten!  Grab a mask.. er, a chair- and come along!

First, let us introduce this week's panel!  We start with WTOD, Toledo; WMGM, the Big Apple; KIMN Denver; WKBW Buffalo; KLIX Idaho Falls; Richmond, VAs appropriately initialed WLEE; old friend KDWB Minneapolis; KAKC Tulsa; another old friend, Chicago's WLS; KEWB San Francisco; KRLA of Los Angeles; and Miami's WCKR.  This band of stations gave us a whopping seven different #1s, including Gene Chandler's Duke Of Earl (which just debuted last week nationally) in San Fran, Burl Ives' A Little Bitty Tear in Idaho Falls, and Barbara George's I Know (You Don't Love Me Anymore) in New York and Denver.  I would also like to point out a song OUTSIDE the top five- just barely- in Los Angeles.  The very first hit for the Beach Boys- a song called Surfin'- jumped from 29 to 6 this week.

It turned out to be a tight battle this week, and each of this week's top 4 claimed two #1 votes.

Elvis Presley was at our fourth spot-as well as on this week's Cashbox Chart- with Can't Help Falling In Love.  And the song technically ties for second, because it also charted in the #2 slot in Idaho Falls- but by a lady by the name of Keely Smith, former wife and lead singer for Louis Prima.

And, a contestant in the FIRST Beauty Contest!

The panel's #3 hit was The Tokens (who will also be entwined in the six degrees) and The Lion Sleeps Tonight- which was CBs #2 this week.

Joey Dee and the Starlighters took the #2 spot (and the 3rd spot on CB) with The Peppermint Twist.

And #1- and once again the CB #1... stay tuned!

_________________________________

Now then, let me get to the Beauty Contest end of things.  The BC kicked off during the first Great Cashbox Website Shutdown.  The rules were different- I took the ladies at the #1 spot through history THAT WEEK- and coming out on top was Brandy.

The next two contests, as well as this one, the rules were changed.  The contestants were any lady who got her pic on TM that year- and Scrappy picked the winner from my group of finalists.  The second winner was Patti Boyd-

-and Tina Louise last year.

This year, that gave us some 78 candidates, some serious contenders (Petula Clark, Kylie Minogue) and some not so much (Yoko Ono, Mrs. Miller).  I whittled it down to 10 semi finalists, including:

Melanie..

Debby Boone...

Olivia Trinidad-Arias...

Country singer Sylvia...

And Mariska Veres from Shocking Blue.

In a little bit, I'll introduce you to the top five that Scrappy chose from.


_______________________________

Our unknown for this week was at #9 for the Toledo chart- not surprising, as they were from Toledo.  They were called the Raging Storms, and they had a contract at one point with an outfit called Warwick Records, who also had in their short lived stable the Tokens (them again?) and the Fireballs, along with another Toledo act, Johnny and the Hurricanes, who had a late fifties top ten with Red River Rock.  But Warwick went under later this same year, and the Storms dissipated with them.  But they did have a bit of fame, apparently; a story I found says that an episode of the Dick Van Dyke show may have featured their song (though the guy's memory wasn't clear and it may have been another song).  In any event, here they are with a song that peaked nationally at #103 in April- the Dribble Twist.





(I just noticed the YouTube poster called them the "Raging Stones".  That is incorrect.)


____________________________________

This week's six degrees starts out with a lady with three names.

You see by the autograph on the pic that one of those names was Karen Chandler.  She was born Eva Nadauld, and made her singing debut professionally with the Benny Goodman Band as Eve Young.  She was a featured act on an NBC variety show in the forties, but took the Karen Chandler persona when she became a solo act in the early 50s.  She had a hit with Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me in '52 (A song made more recognizable by Mel Carter in 1965).  This song was a hit in the UK by another lady, Muriel Smith, in 1953.  Now Muriel was one of many ladies who played the part of Lady Thiang in stage productions of The King And I.  Another such lady was an enchantress named Anita Darian.

Anita sang the extremely high line in the Tokens' (Yes, them again!) hit, our 3# panel song this week, The Lion Sleeps Tonight.  The Tokens formed from a group called the Linc-Tones, who counted as a member from 1955-7 a gentleman named Neil Sedaka.  And Neil has our six degrees pick this week- Cashbox's #9 hit, Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen!


________________________________

Okay, here are our finalists on the Beauty Contest:

Jerney Kaagman, from the band Earth And Fire...

Merillee Rush...

Linda Ronstadt...

Michelle Phillips...

and Ellie Greenwich!

Make yer choices, and stay tuned to see who Scrappy picked!

_____________________________

And now, the shuffle top ten:

Tears For Fears lead us off with their #3 hit from 1985, Head Over Heels.

The number 9 song hit #1 in the US of A in 1974... and in the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, and the Netherlands in 1990, making the longest span between hitting #1 in different nations- Steve Miller's The Joker.

The most played in concert song of Bob Dylan's career is at #8 here- but failed to chart as a single in '68, and as a live single in '74!  The original All Along The Watchtower, made famous by Jimi Hendrix.

The Grass Roots come in at #7 with their biggest hit, the top 5 from '68 Midnight Confessions.

At #6, a song that hit #10 in 1963, Randy and the Rainbows and Denise.  What I didn't know was, Blondie did a cover (using the French guy's name Denis) in 1978 that hit the top of several European charts:





From our target year of 1962, the Orlons come in at #5 with a song that peaked at 4- Don't Hang Up.

At #4, a song that shared a drummer with our #7 Midnight Confessions- Hal Blaine- The Carpenters with For All We Know.

Another one of those "If it were up to A&R men, this would've been a b-side" hits, the #1 CB/#2 BB hit for Billy Preston from 1971, Outa-Space, is our #3.

The First Edition's follow-up to Ruby (Don't Take Your Love To Town), Reuben James was a #26 hit in 1969, and is at #2 on our list.


And our number ones:  Survey says....

...Chubby Checker and (what else?) The Twist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And, Shuffle says...

...The Trammps and Disco Inferno!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


The first time this was released, it only made it to #53... but then came Saturday Night Fever, and 53 in '76 became #11 in 1978!.

______________________


Okay here we go!  Scrappy is ready...

...with 5 pieces of BabyBel on top of five little slips of paper.  Scrappy, if you would...

...and the little slip of paper says...

.....LINDA RONSTADT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Okay, imagine Bert Parks singing in the background, and we'll see you here next week!