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Today we come in on March 6, 1962- T-minus-71 days until I make my squawling entrance into the world, and the midst of the Great Ash Wednesday Nor'easter of 1962. This was an AWESOIME storm- the tenth most powerful in the USA in the 20th century- and rather than tell you about it, let me give you a few hunks of the story via The Weather Channel:
Nearly all of Sea Isle City, New Jersey's, 1,200 residents were forced to evacuate their homes, many of which became submerged in up to 5 feet of water. Many Cape May, New Jersey, residents had to leave after they lost electricity, water, heat and sewage facilities during the storm. Atlantic City, New Jersey, was inundated with 25-foot waves and wind gusts as high as 58 mph...
In the Atlantic Ocean, the nor'easter split a 500-foot Liberian tanker in two, and it took three Navy destroyers to rescue the 27 men left stranded in the stern. A cruise ship sent a lifeboat for the remaining three men in the bow. Unfortunately, 15 men out of Point Pleasant, New Jersey, were lost at sea on fishing trawlers...
The American Red Cross credited the death toll at 40 people along the East Coast, 10 of them in New Jersey alone.
Winchester, Virginia, picked up 23 inches of snow from this event, the heaviest single snowfall on record in that city, at the time. As much as 42 inches of snow were measured in the adjacent Blue Ridge Mountains of western Virginia.
Snow was reported as far south as Alabama, and temperatures in the 30s plunged into portions of Florida.
In the meantime, it was 38 and breezy here in Fort Wayne. We had about 4/10ths of an inch of snow over the period.
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And welcome to another Time Machine, in this episode we have a totally out of place Guess Who appearance, three new M10 debuts, and a Twist contest, no foolin'! So get yer dancin' shoes on, and prepare to swing it!
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Our first debut is a real honor, because this artist has actually been IN my home! He's the hubby of a longtime bloggy friend who fulfilled a lifelong dream and got a record contract for an ep called Stranded in Transit. It's described as 'instrumental alternative soul', and while I never got a chance to chart one of the ep songs, he just released a new single whose title stems from an encounter while stepping out for a smoke with a neighborhood critter- A Song For An Opossum. He goes by the handle of Speaking In Squares, and he debuts at #10...
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Randy: So I'm a bit confused why we're here... something about 1962?
Burton: Yeah, this was Chad's band back then...
Yeah, I know, let me try to sum things up. Last week, Percy Faith tried to insinuate that I had something against Canadian acts- and as my son can tell you, that was a crock. He tried to support his case by the fact you've never got voted in as POTM, which is not under my control. So I told him I was gonna have you on THIS week, and I brought you here from 1967 because you were closer to the lineup I grew up with and loved. And despite the fact we shorted Chubby Checker to bring you here, we have more than a few things to make up for his absence in this segment. Does that help?
Jim: Well, kinda... but why are we here?
Let me guess- Nardole forgot the briefing...
Gary: Is that the bald guy, the stuffed shirt, or the weird dude in the tux?
The bald guy. The weird dude is Wayne Newton.
J: Crazy.
So once again, I go to a site that has radio station charts from throughout history, pick the current week in a certain year, count up the #1 'votes' like an election, and have last week's winner- whom you all are standing in for- read off the top 3 or four songs for everyone who cares to to guess the winner from.
J: Can I just guess? I don't wanna read 'em off...
R: Jimmy, just settle. So what's this list?
They're some items you can let the folks know about before you get to the finalists.
B: Okay, I think this'll work out...
G: Sounds like a good lyric, man...
B: Okay, I'll write it down here in a bit. Anyway, one of the votes went to Ketty Lester and Love Letters, which was the big mover, from #81 all the way to 40.
G: Who was Ketty Lester?
B: Some American Woman. Hmmm... anyway, the UK #1 song this week was also in the countdown- Elvis Presley with Can't Help Falling In Love. It was # 33 and going down in the USA. What was it in Canada, dude?
No idea, Google says there wasn't a Canadian Chart until 1964...
J: Oh, yeah...
G: Like you knew that! Hey, what's the deal with this one at #135?
That was a real poser! Some classical-style composer named Elliot Evans got a vote for something called the X-15 Concerto. The flip side was the same thing arranged by Neal Hefti, best known by us neanderthals as the man who wrote the Batman TV show theme...
R: So we had 40 votes for 15 songs all together, and it looks like three of them make the final! Who wants to go first?
J: I don't wanna do one. I just wanna guess.
B: We know, Jim. Here, the first finalist is Bruce Channel's Hey Baby, at # 2 in the USA...
G: The second one is Shelly Fabres and Johnny Angel at... hey, is this right?
Yep, she became the lowest charting finalist in Panel history, debuting just this week at #97....
R: Okay, and the last finalist is the number one, Gene Chandler and Duke Of Earl. Okay Jim, what do you wanna guess?
J: I wanna guess His Girl by the Guess Who!
That's a great song, but you won't be doing it clear back in '62.
J: But we just did it last week at a show!
R: Don't worry 'bout it, boss. We'll explain it to him...
Thanks, Randy, thanks everyone, it's been fun!
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So here we go with a LIVE 6D! Those of us that listened to classic rock back in the day (the day in question being the mid-1980's) remember the late Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble, and in '85 he hit #17 on the mainstream rock charts with Look At Little Sister, an old blues tune first done by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters on their lp Mr Rhythm and Blues in 1960. Now another Hank Ballard tune plays heavily into today's post, as his band had a bit of a minor hit with a song that caught Dick Clark's ear. Dick wanted to have them do it on Bandstand, but they weren't available. So, kingmaker that he was, he found someone else locally who had a similar style to perform it, and the rest is history. In fact it is our 6D song sitting at #3 without a Panel vote- our good buddy Chubby and The Twist!
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| "What else you got for me, man?" |
and we ranked them according to what we thought of them. So I'll quickly average the scores out and show you how we voted them...
With 2 of a possible score of 16, the Marvelettes with Twistin' Postman at #34 this week. We both found it incredibly annoying and put it last.
Scoring 5 points was Joey Dee and the Starlighters with Hey Let's Twist at #41. I put it next to last- I thought it a flat version of their OTHER hit; but Laurie didn't mind it and put it her #6.
With 6 points was an instrumental by King Curtis and his Noble Knights called Soul Twistin' at #72. I thought it was pretty funky (#5), but Laurie continued her campaign to wipe out instrumentals and put it at #7. (Just kidding, dear...)
With 8 points was the duet of Chubby and Dee Dee Sharp, Slow Twistin' at #71. I've always found it a bit too slow for my tastes (#6), but again Laurie saved their day (#4).
With 10 points, we begin the serious contenders with Gary US Bonds and Dear Lady Twist at #11. I'm big on GUSB, so I had it at my #3, while Laurie debated long and hard on the top ones, putting it at #5.
11 points means 3rd place for Joe Dee and the boys' OTHER hit, the Peppermint Twist at #8 on Cashbox this week. I think the difference for me is that I keep hearing the former #1 M10 cover of this by Sweet, and it weakened it for me (#4), while Laurie had it edging out GUSB for her #3.
And the top two we both agreed on- Chubby at the top with The Twist, and Sam Cooke next with his #21 this week, Twistin' The Night Away. Congrats, Chubby, winnah and still Champeen!
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Gee whiz, and I have two debuts yet to play- and now I gotta do 'em back to back! The first at #9 I actually got from last week's Thumbs segment! I believe my comment was, "Wow...just wow!" From 1963, here are the Duprees...
And, at #7, their second M10 hit- and first since 4 years and one month ago- from the new lp Always Tomorrow, this is Best Coast...
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The remaining M10:
Agnes Obel moves up 2 with Camera's Rolling...
White Reaper, with a song that has been on my top tens shuffle since Christmas, holds at 8 with Might Be Right...
Fertile Crescent gets rudely shoved back one spot with Onion Garden...
Zooming up 4 spots with a cover from the Beatles' White Album, Brooke Annibale is at #4 with I Will...
Ozzie and Elton slip out of the top to #3 with Ordinary Man...
Anna Burch to #2 with Party's Over....
And a song that is going to lead into a Sunday Message post this week, a song I learned last night that many, many people have had the same reaction that I had (namely, crying)...
...Real Estate and Paper Cup!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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And the Panel picks?
If you chose the Duke, you got 15%...
If you took Bruce Channel, you got 20%...
But your winner- from #97 this week, with a whopping 25%...
...Shelly Fabres and Johnny Angel!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And you better darn well believe SHE'S gonna be on the show! Be here then for 1963!
Music from my birth year but still from before I was bborn
ReplyDeleteMe, too, but when you're raised with a sister 10 years older...
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