Oldieslist - Oldies Music & Related Sites from the 50's 60's 70's and 80's

Super CFL Big 10 Radio Tribute

2009-01-26T13:26:00.004-06:00

I grew up in the Chicago area during the prime days of Top40 Rock and Roll Radio. From 1966 to 1976 everyone listened to either "The Big 10" WCFL or "The Big 89" WLS. It was an all out radio war. To this day, people still ask "CFL or LS?" just like the "Pepsi or Coke?" question. In area High Schools occasional fights that would break out depending on your loyalty to either radio station. Silly, but true.

Over the coming Spring and Summer 2009 I will be assembling what I hope will be one of the greatest Super CFL Radio Tribute sites on the Net. If you have any Radio Memories I invite you to share them with us. PLEASE! If you have any stories, photos, audio clips, or any suggestions on what you would like to see on our site, contact us! Full credit/acknowledgements to original materials will be given.

This project is intended to honor ALL WCFL Alumni past and present. Oldieslist wants to thank them for all those great Chicago Radio Memories.

You can submit your Super CFL Memories here: Big10Radio.com or SuperCFL.net

Doo Wop Segment on CBS Sunday Morning Rescheduled

2009-01-05T13:36:00.005-06:00

For those of us that were anxiously awaiting a special Doo Wop segment on CBS's Sunday Morning Show which was scheduled to air on Sunday, January 4, 2009, we were all disappointed when it didn't happen. We heard about this upcoming special on New Year's Day from Scott Shannon on The True Oldies Channel; also by an email from Terry Johnson's Flamingos site. We tuned in Sunday morning and although it was listed in the DirecTV channel guide, it didn't air.

That was the sad news. The GOOD news was waiting in the Oldieslist email Monday (1-5-2009) from Terry Johnson, who informed us that the Doo Wop show has been rescheduled. Thanks, Terry, for the great news! Here's that information from his email list:

CBS Sunday Morning Show

to be rescheduled

Hi Friends!
So... where was the Doo Wop segment we were all waiting for this morning on CBS-TV? Well, according to communication between the show's producers and the concert producers whose Beacon Theater event was filmed for the TV show back in June 2008, they are saving the segment to be used as the 'Cover Story' for an upcoming episode. The segment, as detailed below, we are told, will air in the near future and will be a spotlighted piece instead of crammed into the tail end of the episode that aired today, as was originally planned. Henry Farag, the producer of the Ultimate Doo -Wop show was informed late Saturday of the show being postponed and did not have adequate time to inform the artists.

We will send another notice with the new airing date. Once again, thanks for your support.

Our fans are the greatest!

Doo-Wop
It's a sound that was first popular before two-thirds of Americas were even born. So why do sold-out crowds of all ages turn out to hear music from the first era of rock and roll, music now known as "doo-wop"? Jeff Greenfield talks to the artists who have been playing those oldies but goodies for decades about its resurgence.

Meanwhile, keep visiting www.myspace.com/terryjohnsonsflamingos or www.terryjohnsonsflamingos.com to stay in touch and see where we'll be appearing soon!

Fantastic! We will be watching when it does air and we will be sure to post that show information here on Oldieslist as well when it becomes available.

'Tis The Season...Again!

2008-12-13T17:01:00.006-06:00

It is hard to believe another Holiday Season is here! Even though we have a bad economy I hope everyone will still find a way to make this Christmas a special time for family and loved ones.

At Oldieslist find your favorite Christmas Music sites by searching "Christmas" or "Christmas Music" on the site Search box (upper right hand column) on the Main Page. These are all excellent streaming sites. Unfortunately, many stations that were listed last year have gone away. I think the RIAA and the bad economy may have had something to do with it.

We have made WLIT 93.9 (our local on air station) the Official Christmas Music Station on Oldieslist. They will be broadcasting Christmas Music right up to Christmas day, then back to normal format the day after. Their streaming audio is great quality. Take a listen! We have it on all day!

As health permits, we will start making posts here a little more often. It's been a rough year but really looking forward to finishing this one and on to the next!

Have a GREAT Holiday Season!

Health Issues Again

2008-09-24T14:54:00.002-05:00

Hello everyone. If you noticed things haven't been happening here on the Blog or on our Oldieslist for a while it is because some serious health issues have happened again. I have just arrived home from a 2 week stay in the Hospital, and will be having some ongoing treatments over the next few weeks in hopes to prepare for a final surgery to follow within the next six months.

Needless to say, my Oldieslist projects and maintenance will be slowed down for a while. We will try to work on it when we can to keep our mind busy during recuperation.

Thanks for your understanding,

Retromoose a.k.a Jim

Clark Weber and Neal Samors Rock and Roll Radio Book Signing

2008-08-11T21:55:00.007-05:00

Oldieslist was there! Chicago Radio Legend Clark Weber and Neal Samors of Chicago's Books were at the Frugal Muse Books & Multimedia Superstore in Darien, Illinois to kick off the release of their new book "Clark Weber's Rock and Roll Radio The Fun Years: 1955-1975". It was a real pleasure to meet with Clark and Neal at their book signing event.

If you were a youngster in the 1960's and lived in the Chicago area, you grew up listening to some of the best DJ's of the era on WLS and WCFL. If you were not in the Chicago area, chances are you still heard Clark Weber, Dick Biondi, Art Roberts, Larry Lujack, Jim Stagg, Ron Brittain and many other talented DJ's in a "radio war" at night on these 50,000 watt AM "Clear Channel" stations. Yes, we heard these guys on our 6 and 8 Transistor Radios playing Rock and Roll Top 40 Hits just like the kids today listening to their MP3 Players. The BIG difference was, we had live radio personalities behind the music, that entertained us between songs and came out to visit us at Sock Hops to tell us their corny jokes. It was good, clean fun!

As I stood in line, I heard many stories and comments that brought back many memories. Whenever I visit an event that has a famous veteran WLS or WCFL DJ, I hear the "I grew up listening to you with my radio under my pillow!" or "you were my lifeline to home over the airwaves while I was away at college!" Our DJ's truly helped lay down the 'soundtrack's' of our lives!!!

I highly recommend picking up a copy of Clark and Neal's book. It is sure to bring back some great memories!

Clark Weber's Rock and Roll Radio

2008-08-05T10:15:00.002-05:00

UPDATE!

Clark Weber's Rock and Roll Radio: The Fun Years, 1955-1975 is now available at Amazon, BN.com and Borders.com. Oldieslist supporter Neal Samors of CHICAGO'S BOOKS has been working with the legendary Clark Weber since last January on this memory packed book which has been released.

On Memorial Day (2008) it was announced on the WLS Big 89 Rewind by Tommy Edwards and Larry Lujack that Clark Weber was releasing the book which features some interesting stories about Ol' Uncle Lar and his Sidekick Lil' Tommy and other WLS DJ's in the Top40 Rock and Roll Era.

Neal has sent Oldieslist a copy of this fantastic book and it is very hard to put down. Indeed, it brings back some great memories of the WLS we grew up with. You'll love it! We give it the Oldieslist "Double Thumbs Up" rating. Thanks again Neal for another great book that "Keeps The Oldies Alive"!

The book includes a companion CD that is narrated by Clark Weber. It includes of clips of jingles and "air checks" of your favorite Dee Jays like Dick Biondi, Dex Card, Clark Weber, Ron Riley and many more. Thanks Clark and Neal for taking us on a great trip down Memory Lane!

Join Clark Weber and Neal Samors at these Book Signing Events:

Thursday, August 7, 7:30PM Barnes and Noble - Old Orchard, Skokie, IL

Saturday, August 9, 1-3PM Frugal Muse Books - Darien, IL

Thursday, August 14, 12:30PM Barnes and Noble - DePaul, State and Jackson, Chicago, IL

Saturday, August 23, 2-3PM Borders - Oak Park, IL

Saturday, September 27, 3PM Barnes and Noble - Webster Place, Chicago, IL

Saturday, October 4, 1PM Read Between The Lynes - Woodstock, IL

Saturday, October 11, 1PM Bookstall at Chestnut Court - Winnetka, IL

Tuesday, October 14, 7PM Glenview Public Library - Glenview, IL

Read more about Clark Weber by Chicago Sun Times Columnist Robert Feder.

WLS FM Rides The Airwaves Again!

2008-06-26T00:07:00.005-05:00

It's Official! Chicago's True Oldies 94.7 (WZZN) is now 94.7 WLS-FM Chicago's True Oldies. It is still the same station you have been enjoying, but with a "blast from the past". At 12:00 am Thursday, June 26 the station signed on with all of their new (and old) WLS Jingles, Bumpers, and Shotguns to begin the broadcast day. If you were up late and listening you would have heard Chicago's Icon Dick Biondi kick off this momentous occasion.

Mentioned last Friday in Robert Feder 's Column in the Chicago Sun-Times the FCC granted permission to change the stations callsign from WZZN to WLS effective Thursday June 26, 2008. Citadel Broadcasting owns WLS AM Talk Radio and WLS FM. Let the good times Rock and Roll!

The WLS Big 89 Rewind Returns

2008-05-15T17:44:00.004-05:00

The BIG 89 REWIND will return again this Memorial Day Weekend! WLS Newsradio format will be replaced with the WLS we knew from the 60's and 70's from 5 AM to Midnight Memorial Day. Last year was the first time the station switched from the News and Talk Radio Format on Memorial Day and was a smash success with listeners. Some of the personalities that participated last year are expected to return again for this 89 Rewind. WLS NewsTalk 890 has announced who will be participating on their web site. Click on the Big 89 Rewind above for details.

The last years 89 Rewind was released on CD and all proceeds went to Orchard Village a Chicago area non-profit organization for people with disabilities. They will likely do the same this year.

Oldieslist's Official Oldies Station

2008-05-13T23:56:00.004-05:00

I love Oldies Radio, but there is a guy that loves it even more. If it wasn't for Michael Scott Shannon, Oldies Radio might have disappeared from your radio dial. When you hear "Shannon is on the radio..." you know your going to hear some great Oldies. Scott Shannon is like the Energizer Bunny, he keeps the Oldies on the air from Coast to Coast and around the World Wide Web 24 hours a day.

We listen to The True Oldies Channel here in the Chicago area on 94.7 FM just about 16 hours out of the day. Every radio dial is tuned to our local outlet during the day as we work on the Oldieslist site or out driving around town. Many links found on our site have been inspired by The True Oldies Channel. So, we thank Scott and all the folks who are dedicated to Keeping The Oldies Alive, we are designating Scott Shannon's True Oldies Channel the Official Oldies Station of Oldieslist. Thank-You Michael Scott Shannon for all your hard work!

Hey Man, Get ready for Hippie Radio!

2008-05-09T21:51:00.005-05:00

If you are a Baby Boomer, and if you ever inhaled, this is really "Far Out". We all know the Oldies Format as we know it has been slipping away. It's getting harder and harder to get the music we grew up with on the radio dial. Now, a new way to market the Oldies format may be coming to a station near you soon.

It's an Oldies radio programmer dream come true, it's called Hippie Radio and it is being rolled out in several radio markets right now! WoW, that really is far out dudes and dudettes! It really is all the same Oldies music we enjoy, the format is just getting a "face lift". Still the same music we enjoy from 1964 to 1973 and geared to Baby Boomers aged 45 to 60 years young.

Read more about this format at their site Hippie Radio.net

Look for links to stations that will carry this format at our Oldieslist.com.

Flash! Elvis Teams Up With Laurel and Hardy!

2008-05-03T09:45:00.005-05:00

Did you ever wonder who the King of Rock and Roll would team up with in Rock and Roll Heaven? Well, here's your answer. Check out this great video with Elvis singing back up for Laurel and Hardy in their release of "Ain't That Loving You Baby?". Great job boys!!!

Soul Singer Al Wilson dies at age 68

2008-04-22T22:28:00.002-05:00

Al Wilson best known for his famous single "Show and Tell" and my favorite "The Snake" has entered Rock and Roll Heaven. Al died Monday, April 21, 2008 of kidney failure in Fontana, California near San Bernardino at age 68.

Oldieslist Member a 94.7 True Oldies Winner!

2008-04-08T18:20:00.006-05:00

Oldieslist Member Peg152 a.k.a. "Marg" gathered up her old WLS and WCFL albums to bring to Chicago's 94.7 FM True Oldies DJ Dick Biondi doing a promotional "Meet and Greet" at Castle Chevrolet in suburban Villa Park April,5 2008. Dick said "The first person to come up to Dick with Castle Chevrolet written on their person would win a nice Castle Chevrolet Cubs Baseball duffel bag.
Everyone there liked the old albums. Dick signed them all and gave Peg a big hug for bringing them!

Go Cubs!

Photo from 94.7 Chicago's True Oldies Channel

Lack of Oldieslist Posts

2008-03-14T21:30:00.002-05:00

I am sorry for the lack of posts over the last few months. We have had our share of health problems and hope things are going to smooth out now that spring is just around the corner. Some of our projects for Oldieslist have been put on hold until we get these health issues under control.

A few problems with our database have been fixed with a minor upgrade. The rest of our upgrades will be online shortly. Thanks for your patience!

Site Maintenance and Updates

2008-02-02T22:39:00.000-06:00

Just a note to let Oldieslist users that we will be making software upgrades and reworking some areas of our site. There may be some pages that do not display correctly at times. Work will begin on or about February 9, 2008 and completed by March 1, 2008. We think you'll like the new features and speed.

2007 Silent Voices

2007-12-31T21:17:00.000-06:00

As 2007 fades away, Oldieslist remembers those who have passed. It is always sad each year to learn who has left us. Thanks to my wife Margaret for putting this list together.

We pay tribute to:

January 19 - Denny Doherty, singer in the original Mamas and Papas, Age 66.

February 6 - Frankie Laine, singer known for "Rawhide", "Moonlight Gambler" and other hits, Age 93.

March 9 - Brad Delp, lead singer of Boston singing such hits as "More Than A Feeling" and "Long Time", Age 55.

April 14 - Don Ho, singer/performer and songwriter with his big hit "Tiny Bubbles", Age 76.

April 25 - Bobby "Boris" Pickett singer of the "Monster Mash", Age 69.

April 30 - Zola Taylor, Singer with the Platters, Age 73.

July 2 - Beverly Sills, Brooklyn-born opera diva, Age 78.

August 4 - Lee Hazlewood, singer and songwriter of such hits as "These Boots are Made for Walking" and "Tell Me About Phaedra", Age 78.

September 6 - Luciano Pavarotti, legendary Italian tenor, Age 71.

October 17 - Teresa Brewer, singer "All Alone Am I" and "Music, Music, Music", Age 76.

October 30 - Robert Goulet, Singer/actor most famous for his run in "Camelot" and tv show in the 1960's, Age 73.

October 28 - Porter Wagoner, Country singer and Grand Ole Opry star famous for his early commercials with Dolly Parton for 'Breeze' detergent, Age 80.

December 12 - Ike Turner, controversial Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Age 76.

December 17 - Dan Fogelberg, singer and songwriter of such hits as "Leader of the Band" and "Same Ole Lang Syne", Age 56.

Christmas Music

2007-11-24T00:17:00.000-06:00

Oldieslist is gearing up for the Holiday Season. It is very easy to find sites streaming your Holiday Favorites, just search "Christmas" at our main page www.oldieslist.com Ho Ho Ho!

New CD by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss

2007-10-28T10:50:00.001-05:00

My lovely wife Margaret (I prefer "Peg") bought me a present a few days ago. (she spoils me) She bought "Raising Sand" by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss at our local Walmart after hearing it on NBC's morning Today Show during the week. They played their version of The Everly Brothers "Gone Gone Gone" live on the show and Peg and I were completely blown away. The rest of the CD is excellent as well, but my absolute favorite is this cut. The harmonies are hauntingly brilliant with a touch of Plant's Led Zeppelin "Immigrant Song" accent. He tastefully slips the unique Plant sound on other tracks as well. If you were a Zeppelin Fan, you'll recognize it immediately.

Peg's little story about a Walmart employee that was helping her find the new CD was typical of today's generation. Peg asked her "Do you have the new CD by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss?" She replied "Who is Robert Plant? I've never heard of him, but Alison Krauss would be in the Country section." Peg tried explaining that Plant was in the group Led Zeppelin from the late 60's, but it went right over her head. When she finally found the new release (which was NOT in the Country section) she opened one and put it in a player to listen and also thought it was fantastic.

You can Preview the WHOLE Album FREE here or click the CD image. I guarantee you'll like it. I would say it is Rockabilly. What do you think?

Listen to this Everly Brothers version on YouTube:

New Book by Neal Samors and Eric Bronsky

2007-10-24T19:38:00.000-05:00

Oldieslist friend Neal Samors has co-authored a new book with Eric Bronsky "Downtown Chicago In Transition". If it is anything like "Chicago In The Sixties", I guarantee you will be mesmerized for hours on end.

The book is now available at Chicago's Books Press . Neal and Eric will be having book signings and have provided the following dates and locations:

Sunday, October 28, 2PM at Barnes and Noble Old Orchard Shopping Center

Saturday, November 3, 2PM Bookstall at Chestnut Court, Winnetka, IL.

Sunday, November 4, 3PM to 4:30 PM Don Roth's Blackhawk Restaurant in Wheeling

Monday, November 5, 7PM at Indian Trails Library, Wheeling, IL.

Tuesday, November 6, 9:30AM - 11AM Chicago Sun-Times Store

Tuesday, November 6, Noon at Barnes and Noble, DePaul University, at State &
Jackson, Downtown Chicago.

Saturday, November 17, 1PM at Burkes Books, Park Ridge, IL.

Sunday, November 18, 2PM at Borders, Wilmette, IL.

Wednesday, December 5, Noon at Chicago Architecture Foundation, Chicago, IL.

Thursday, December 13, 7PM Oak Park Library, Oak Park, IL.

Saturday, December 15, 1PM to 3 PM at Read Between The Lynes Bookstore, Woodstock, IL.

Also, I would like to remind everyone that Neal is working on his next Chicago book and would like our readers to contact him. Here is our previous Blog entry on that project.

TrueOldies 94.7 Adds Greg Brown!

2007-10-15T21:27:00.000-05:00

WZZN 94.7 Chicago's TrueOldies Station has added Greg Brown to the afternoon drive 4pm - 8pm. Welcome back! Greg Brown takes the afternoon slot that John "Records" Landecker had occupied for the last year. John will still be on TrueOldies 94.7 as host of "Into the '70s," from 7 p.m. to midnight Sundays, starting Oct. 21. He will continue to fill in on news/talk WLS-AM (890).

Greg Brown had been filling in at 94.7 and other stations since the layoff of Dick Biondi, Fred Winston, and Connie Szerszen at WJMK when they changed to the "Jack" format. Greg was at WJMK for 11 years doing "The Brown Bag Lunch".

Good-bye Summer!

2007-09-12T13:18:00.000-05:00

What a FANTASTIC summer! I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did this year! We will be making some more Blog entries now that Summer is leaving us.

I would like to make a request of our visitors. If you have any interesting Oldies related pictures from visiting summer festivals please send us a few photos or links to photos you may have to share with our visitors. We will post them to our Kodak Gallery site for all to view. Sort of a "What I did on my Summer Vacation" theme.

Also, I would like our visitors to notify us on dead or changed links. It is very tedious work to check links that no longer function or web addresses that change. I would also like visitors to notify us about sites that have annoying ads and such.

Well, that's about all for now. Thanks for visiting our site!

Elvis Week

2007-08-31T12:22:00.000-05:00

August 12 - 18, 2007 marked the 30th Anniversary of Elvis Presley's death in 1977. Oldieslist paid tribute to The King by visiting Graceland and Sun Records along with Special Events held in his honor.

Here are some of our photos from Elvis Week 2007.

This probably was the last celebration of this magnitude. Oldieslist friend Phil Arnold sums it up best in his fantastic Blog. Also, take a look at our friend Red Robinson's great site. Red was Emcee at events we attended and we had a great time! Red Robinson is host of "The Red Rock Diner" on 650CISL every Sunday.

Oldieslist and Friends did a lot of "Walking in Memphis". Once you have walked down Beale Street, watching and listening to this video takes on new meaning.

Elvis Week 2007 image from www.elvis.com

New Book on Chicago's Top40 Radio Era: 1955 to 1975

2007-07-17T19:16:00.000-05:00

Neal Samors (author: Chicago in the Sixties) is in the early stages of co-authoring a new book with Chicago's legendary deejay Clark Weber. The book will cover 20 years of Chicago radio memories from 1955 to 1975 and will include memorabilia and key deejay interviews from Clark's years at WIND, WJJD, WLS and WCFL. The new book will be titled "Clark Weber's Rock and Roll Radio in Chicago: 1955 to 1975" and is scheduled to be published in the Fall of 2008.

Neal would like to include a listeners perspective from this era and has asked us:

"If you could put a note on your website and bloglist and ask people to write to me with their memories about rock and roll radio during those years. Those memories can range from a few sentences to a few paragraphs to a couple of pages, and we will include as many of those that are interesting and informative."

You can contact Neal Samors with your Solid Gold Listener Memories at:

NSamors@comcast.net

Summer Vacation

2007-07-06T13:14:00.000-05:00

Oldieslist Blog will be on vacation for the next few weeks. Our Oldieslist Directory will still be updated regularly.

WLS Big 89 Rewind Airs Again July 4, 2007

2007-06-23T14:42:00.000-05:00

WLS 890 AM will air the Memorial Day Special "The Big 89 Rewind" again on July 4, 2007 in it's entirety. The Rewind show was a huge success thanks to WLS 890 Program Director Kipper McGee and the following participants: Larry Lujack and Tommy Edwards, Fred Winston, Chris Shebel, Jeff Davis, John "Records" Landecker, Tom Kent, Les Grobstein, Linda Marshall, Catherine Johns, Bill Shannon, Jay Philpott, Scott Childers, Art Vuolo, Ed Glab, Michael Wolfgang, Gil Gross, Steve Jones, Bill Price, Maura Myles, Brad Wallace, Chuck Brueckmann, Michael Garay, Brian Althimer, Brandy Burkhardt, Sean Bresnahan, Tracy Slutzkin and the WLS 890 Sponsors.

Tune your portable radios, car radios or listen online all day!