31 Days of Faves: Eric Clapton - Let It Grow
"I Shot the Sheriff" was the hit single from Eric Clapton's "461 Ocean Blvd" LP. But, for me, "Let It Grow" is the cut that never grows old.
31 Days of Faves: Small Faces - Itchycoo Park
There is beauty in simplicity. Peel back all the conflicting stories about what the lyrics in "Itchycoo Park" mean, that's the message.
31 Days of Faves: Fifth Dimension - California Soul
Some don't consider "California Soul" to be a major 5th Dimension hit. But it still hooks me, every time I hear it.
31 Days of Faves: Del Amitri - Roll To Me
At barely two minutes, Del Amitri's 1995 smash, "Roll To Me" is a timeless tune that channels the best of the 1960s.
31 Days of Faves: Richard Harris - MacArthur Park
Producer Bones Howe is the real catalyst behind Jimmy Webb's iconic, "MacArthur Park". He came up with the idea. Webb created the charts. The Association rejected it. Richard Harris, with WABC programmer, Rick Sklar's help, made it a hit.
31 Days of Faves: The Troggs - Love Is All Around
The inimitable Creem and Rolling Stone rock journalist, Lester Bangs dubbed the Troggs, the "godfathers of punk". So there's a certain irony that their most enduring hit was a love song.
31 Days of Faves: Nathan East (Featuring Michael McDonald) - Moondance
When Nathan East decided to release a collection under his own name, Van Morrison's "Moondance" was one of 14 eclectic tunes to make the cut. With Michael MacDonald on vocals it rocks like few cover tunes ever do.
31 Days of Faves: Kiki Dee Band - I've Got the Music In Me
When Kiki Dee joined Elton John's Rocket Records, a career that had been simmering since the mid 1960s took off. And 1974's "I've Got the Music In Me" was the fuse that lit the fire.
31 Days of Faves: REO Speedwagon - Roll With the Changes
REO's 7th studio album produced their first Top 40 hit, "Time for Me to Fly". It was worthy of the accolades. But for me, it was Side One, Cut One that would resonate.
31 Days of Faves: Santa Esmeralda - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
Certain songs define a generation. And for some, "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" ranks with Vicki Sue Robinson, Cheryl Lynn and Gloria Gaynor.
31 Days of Faves: The Ventures / Brian Setzer - Hawaii Five-0
"Don't screw up the theme song." That was the one thing people said when word leaked of a re-boot of the Hawaii Five-0 Television series.
31 Days of Faves: Rod Stewart - Day After Day
Backstory on the Badfinger Tune that became a popular cover for Rod Stewart, his fifth Top 5 and second #1 debut in three years.
31 Days of Faves: Lovin' Spoonful - Summer in the City
If there ever was a tune that channeled the feel of 1966, The Lovin' Spoonful's "Summer in the City" is it.
Countdown Saturday - April 3, 1972
This week's Countdown Saturday takes us to Chicago, where WLS and WCFL were locked in a perennial battle for number one.
Arnold Zenker's 13 Days of Fame on the CBS Evening News
This week in 1967, Arnold Zenker replaced "The Most Trusted Man on Television" when Walter Cronkite went on strike.
Countdown Saturday - 1969
It's Countdown Saturday! Let's look at news and popular culture headlines in Detroit the way it was on March 20, 1969.
Backstory: The Beatles' "She's Leaving Home"
Ever wonder how Paul McCartney came up with for "She's Leaving Home?" Here's the backstory on one of the Beatles most analyzed hits.
CashBox, Slot Cars & Galveston
From July 1942 to November 1996, Cashbox magazine was a major competitor to Billboard as an arbiter of what was hot in American pop music.