favorite Christmas presents

Toy commercials were a big part of Christmas. My Toss Across
game lasted until college and this commercial ran year after year.

In the 5th grade (1975), I snooped for presents in my parent's closet
and found some.... unwrapped. It sucked. I had to pretend to be excited. It was the Christmas that I received Gnip Gnop and Kerplunk.

My favorite Christmas toy, however, was my Krazy Kar, my big gift
for Christmas 1969. I played with this thing until the wheels fell off.

My sister Janet and I open presents next to my shiny, new toy.
On the chair in the background is Janet's Beautiful Crissy doll.
Did you notice the cat Marvin under the wrapping paper? 

Above, Janet bombs around in my Krazy Kar while I try to yank
some kid off of my tricycle. In order to protect the innocent, his face
has been covered with a happy Santa. Merry Christmas!

Christmas gifts

Nothing says "I love you" like a Hoover. Now get cleaning!

Sunday afternoon dose of 1969

The Dutch group Shocking Blue had a humongous hit with this.

Carrie Anne

A tremendous live performance on the BBC with a strange string
interlude by The Hollies sans Graham Nash from 1969.

take a break from skiing...

...with The Supremes on Where the Action Is from 1965.

time for Christmas music...

...and watching Rudolph. Enjoy the mix and Happy Christmas!

Ronnie Spector

I had the extreme pleasure of seeing Ronnie Spector a few nights ago in a very intimate setting at TCAN in Natick, Massachusetts. She looked gorgeous and sounded gorgeous. Her hair was bigger than huge, thank God, and her band and backup singers were the best.

I've never sat so close to a performer and could not make my smile go away. In between each song she sat and told stories about her career and the song she was about to sing. There was a slide show with video too. One of the top 5 shows I've ever seen. Thanks, Ronnie!

She ended the show with Frosty the Snowman. The Ronettes
were a huge part of Phil Spector's Christmas album from 1963.




• Kids Cha Cha to Be My Baby on American Bandstand
• Appearing on American Bandstand, September 1963
• Say Goodbye to Hollywood, 1977

learning "The Hustle" to "Popcorn"

In the summer of 1975 when I was 10-years-old, my family went camping with some of our neighbors. One night at the campground rec hall there was a square dancing party. Besides do-si-doing, we learned The Hustle, the new dance of the day to the song Popcorn.
Just when the big, bad world is getting me down, I find this.
Thank you, Jesus. Whoooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!

Some references to "penquins" and "drying your nails" in the comments section for the video above – a European Community Auditions.

Saturday morning dose of The Four Seasons

The Four Seasons belt out a medley of some of their biggest hits.

Black Is Black

Los Bravos perform then run from the fanatical chicks.

Hand Jive

Johnny Otis, Three Tons of Joy and Lionel Hampton perform Willie and the Hand Jive on The Johnny Otis Show in 1958.

Happy Halloween!

Screamin' Lord Sutch and the Savages perform Jack the Ripper in 1964 and creep out the audience. Rrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaahhhhhhh!

beware of monsters today

They can really be a pain in the neck I tell ya. Ooooooowwwwww!

Crazy Cafe

Let's go get an egg and groove to the jukebox at the Crazy Cafe.

Saturday Night Beech-nut Show

This Dick Clark show was broadcast live from NYC and featured almost every pop singer from the 1950s. It aired from 1958-1960.

radio station countdowns

88 Rewound counts down the hits of the day. Have a listen.

Ranch Party tv show

Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline perform in 1957.

The Dusty Springfield Show

Here are some performances by Dusty from her 1960s tv show:

• The Real Thing
• Heat Wave
• Show Intro, Get Ready
• Nowhere to Run
• ending and closing credits 
• Anna (El Negro Zumbon)

Pink Martini does a fabulous version of Anna (El Negro Zumbon). I've seen them many times. One of the best shows out there.





Check out Anna being sung in the 1951 film of the same name.

Who's under there?

How cool is the beatnik girl mask? Like, Happy Halloween.

Halloween approaches

Time to watch Disc-O-Teen for some costume ideas.

Upbeat tv show

The Cleveland, Ohio music show aired from 1964-71. Read about host Don Webster's recollections here. Otis Redding appeared on Upbeat the day before his death. Below, Redding sings Respect on Upbeat.

Otis Redding

One of the greatest singers in the history of mankind was Otis Redding. He died at age 26 on December 10, 1967. Below, are three performances from Upbeat, the Cleveland, Ohio tv show that aired from 1964-71. He was killed in a plane crash the day after these performances:

• Wow
• Wow again
• Once again, wow

The RRHOF displays part of the fuselage bearing Redding's name.

building a jukebox

See how this 1958 jukebox was made. I'll take one please.

the Hula Hoop

Hula Hoops have been around forever, but it wasn't until Wham-O marketed the product in 1958 that it became a world-wide craze.



It was still going strong ten years later. How cute are these kids?

Sunday morning dose of 1965

Saturday morning dose of 1967

Thank God for those who travel to the beat of a different drum. Linda Ronstadt performs Different Drum live. Hear a wonderful tribute to Ronstadt by some of the greatest female singers from today.

Darlene Love Induction

Check out Bette Midler inducting Love into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The two then perform a rendition of He's a Rebel.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

A friend and I recently journeyed to Cleveland, Ohio to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. As a rock and roll history junkie, I was in heaven. It felt like my life was flashing before my eyes, especially while viewing 1980s music videos at the MTV exhibit. Yahooooooooo!

Why is it in Cleveland you ask? Because Alan Freed, who coined the term "rock and roll" was a deejay there in the early 1950s.

Above, a mid-60s British Invasion exhibit featuring clothing, concert posters, instruments, video and drum covers. Groooooooooovy!

 Above, Ringo's drum set used during their 1964 world tour.

An hour from Cleveland in Sandusky, Ohio is Cedar Point. Being a roller coaster freak, we had to visit. Amusement parks sure have changed since I was a kid. Yikes. My voice is still hoarse from screaming with joy.