Here Are MORE of Your
FIRST 45's Memories!!!
Sharing MORE of your Musical Memories ... keep 'em comin' folks!!! Send us YOUR FIRST 45's and then watch for them to appear in these FORGOTTEN HITS Pages!!!
my first 45 was a song called "the dark town struters ball" by who i don't really remember ---- i think bob crosby ---- bing's brother . out of all the thousands of 45's i still have today, i can't find it, i must have lost it. i was about 7 or 8 at the time and i am 58 now - how about that .... but i used to dance and sing to it in my mothers kitchen ..... and it seems like yesterday. you know i must say that of all the posts ever put here i think "my first 45" is the best one yet - cause if you're an oldies freak like we are , we can say that's where it all started ... the love of music ---------- just my thought. thanks! big carl
This is my first e mail to the page. I would like to respond to the first 45. It is odd how we all remember are first 45, (no matter what age we were) And the memories they carry. I bought 2 and both were regional bands. First thing I did was record them on to a suit case sized portable reel to reel. I carried it on one shoulder with my paper bag on the other. Delivering papers at 4 in the morning. Listening to these two songs. But it did not end there. A local station a few years later was offering free tickets to a local movie theater if you brought in records they were looking for. Of course it was one of my first 45s. I traded it, but in the process at age 14, asked the local dj how do you get into this business. He offered to let me be his gopher on weekends. which led to part time and then full time dj gig. at age 15 (1969) I got a full time gig on a oldies station. WAKX and so went life. Still spinning oldies up here in the great white north. Duluth Mn. Oh and the name of those songs were, first spring rain by we ugly dogs, and Tompkin Square by the harbingers. both songs are attached, and that’s the name of that tune. Jiffyjeff.net
Mine was "The Streak" by Ray Stevens -- I even wrote the purchase date on the wrapper which was 5/28/74. Roger
Digging back through the "senior memory banks", I already had several 45's that my folks had picked up for me when I gathered my financial resources and went to the local record shop. It was early in 1960 and I just had to have "Thinking Of You" by the Jaguars. In the summer of '58, I tried to acquire an EP with "Poor Little Fool" on it, but the fellow at the grocery store objected to me stuffing it in my pants and trying to get out the door without passing by the gal at the cash register. Jim Southern LOL ... so we've gone from a theme of "The First 45's You Ever Bought With Your Own Money" to "The First 45's I Ever Shoved Down My Pants and Shoplifted"!!!!! (lol) Excellent! (FORGOTTEN HITS ... ALWAYS raising the standards!!!) kk
"The Happening" - The Supremes and "I Got Rhythm" - The Happenings BklynBarb
Kent,
You should have been a shrink!You got someone to admit their first 45 was Julie Do Ya Love Me! Actually I'm liking this series better than the B-sides.
Jack - Rock And Roll Never Forgets
My first 45 was Georgy Girl by the Seekers. Was a 9th birthday present and came complete with a record player with a handle that you could carry around. Was pretty cool as you could turn it upside down and records would keep right on playing. Still have the record laying around somewhere 40 years on. Scott
I guess I can add an addendum to my 45 list. The first 45’s I ever received were from Xmas 1959, and my 4th B-day in March 60.
Oh Carol - Neil Sedaka
Happy Reindeer - Dancer, Prancer & Nervous
Way Down Yonder in New Orleans – Freddy Cannon
Down By The Station - 4 preps
Wild One - Bobby Rydell
Also, my older brothers 1st 5 45’s were:
Whole Lotta Lovin' - Fats Domino
La Bamba / Donna - Ritchie Valens
Battle of New Orleans - Johnny Horton
Lucky Devil - Carl Dobkins
Waterloo - Stonewall Jackson
If anybody cares!
Ken
"All Shook Up" Elvis. Lari
Silhouettes by the Rays studeski
"I Wonder Why" ..... by Dion & The Belmonts. Summer of "58". Ya, I still got it. dschreier
My first 45 was actually a 78 - "Love Me Tender" by Elvis. It was followed closely by a couple of Elvis EP's and a single of "Too Much" w/sleeve.
DooWop Daddy
My very first 45 with my own money was "Love Me Tender" Elvis. I had just seen the movie and cried my eyes out at the end when he died ... Diane
My very first record was "Maybe Baby" by Buddy Holly. I was ten or eleven and I went into the local Woolworth's store and that's where a portion of the store was dedicated to records. When I first heard that song I was hooked and became his most ardent fan. I had first heard "That'll Be The Day" by Buddy but in all honesty it didn't do anything for me and to this day still doesn't. Everything after "Maybe Baby", though, was what I had to have. I'll still pick up my guitar everyday and pick one of his songs. I still have that old 45 and it looks white and you can barely make out the Brunswick label. HE WILL ALWAYS BE MY ALL TIME FAVORITE. I'll share another story later about what happened at the Buddy Holly museum in Lubbock when I visited in the summer of 2006.
Alex Valdez
The Yellow Balloon
My first 45 was a battle between The Closer You Are by The Channells OR Autumn Leaves by Roger Williams. The Channells 'won out' after all, they were on the WHIRLIN' DISC label ! Roger became second however ...
Al Kooper
Since I am probably the oldest member of the forum, I have to relate that my first 45 purchase was The Ballad of Davy Crockett by Tennessee Ernie Ford on Capitol. At the time I did not know there were several versions available, and in the south, Tenn. Ernie got LOTS of airplay. I bought the record at W T Grants record department for a whopping 59cents (I think). It was spring of 1955. Jeeze that was a long time ago! Bob Mayben / The Good Time Gold Show
Kent,
I'm sure many artists have told a similar story. All it took for me to know what I wanted to be when I grew up was that first moment of seeing Elvis on TV. That led to buying my first "45" which was "All Shook Up" and to getting a four string toy guitar (Emenee) with Elvis' picture on it. I learned very little on that one but really got into it with a Gibson "Les Paul, Jr." Things got totally serious with my 1965 Fender "Jazzmaster" that I use today (the doubleneck Mosrite was only for a short time in '67 but there was definitely a lot of publicity associated with that guitar).
Thanks and Happiest of Holidays to you and your readers / listeners,
Davie Allan
I think the first 45 I bought was Heartbreak Hotel, for obvious reasons.
Happy Holidays to all, Austin Roberts
Kent, I guess I can jump in on this "first 45's" topic. The first record I ever bought, at age 11 wasn't a 45, but an album. It was "The Gene Krupa Story in Music." I still have that record in mint condition. The first 45's I got were birthday presents, also at age 11. They were "Step By Step" by the Crests and "Cathy's Clown" by The Everly Bros. As you know, I was the drummer for The Electric Prunes, Linda Ronstadt, Dobie Gray, James Brown, etc. But something no one knows is what records were the very first I ever learned how to play drums to. They were: "Cathy's Clown" by the Everly Bros., "The Wanderer" by Dion (My current band plays this), and "PT 109" by Jimmy Dean (the guy that makes the sausages!). Some may remember his other hit, "Big Bad John." So those 45s started a career that is still going almost 48 years later! I didn't buy many 45's after that, but mostly albums. I bought everything that Sandy Nelson put out. Still have all that stuff in perfect condition. Preston Ritter
Kent: I actually gave the topic quite a bit of thought, but, similar to what I'd answer if asked about last night's dinner faire, could not recall my initial acquisitions so figured it'd be better to remain on the sidelines than make up something. Now that you have pressed me, I will share this … I am quite certain that my very first records were 78s and not 45s. I remember my brother, Ron, taking Elvis and Phil & Don (Everly Brothers - I loved to add a third harmony part to their songs … ) and some extended play records acquired through American Bandstand (those might have been 45s) - using them as precursors to Frisbees, breaking them as they crashed into the walls of my parents' abode. Seeing as it is the Christmas season, I also clearly recall my parents taking out the Williams' Bros. Christmas album every year so mom, Ray, Sr., and we four kids (although my baby sister Dianne may have been too young) could serenade Grandma, as we sang along with all the songs. We were the white, suburban, uncoordinated, dancing-challenged equivalents to the Jackson Five - you know = Chicago's Osmonds! ;o)That choral singing made it a natural for me to join the St. Patrick (all boys' school) H.S. choir as a freshman, where I was a First Tenor (and remained one all four years), standing alongside new classmate, fast friend and fellow First Tenor, Wally Kemp. He introduced me to his friends and band mates/band rivals, Chic and Gerry, and I introduced them to my childhood best bud, Pat McBride, who did emceeing at some of the St. Pat's concerts. In case it is not already obvious, that quintet became 83.33% of the New Colony Six, when, three years later, at our Senior Spring Concert, we played and sang the Beatles' "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" for the crowd. That single selection led to an invitation from Notre Dame's gals (all girls' H.S. just down Belmont a few blocks) to sing it again at their first 1964 fall sock-hop and that led to our decision to learn a few more tunes and play them at parties, calling ourselves a band and naming the entity, the Patsmen, and that led to the quick name change to the New Colony Six and, as the cliché goes, the rest is history!
Ray Graffia, Jr.
My first purchase was actually an album rather than a 45. It was "Meet The Beatles!" I was 8 years old at the time. The record probably cost about $2.50, which was way beyond my 25 cents a week allowance. It would have taken me 10 weeks to save for it, so my mother was kind enough to buy it for me as a special present. I remember playing the record over and over again and reading the liner notes. I was impressed that most of the songs were written by the same two people, who were also in the band. Now that was cool. The LP instantly became my favorite disc, passing up my previous fave, "The Coasters Greatest Hits," which I had permanently "borrowed" from my older sisters a few years earlier. "Meet The Beatles!" made me a fan for life. I even took up guitar in high school and played in bands through college. I wrote music reviews for my high school and college newspapers. After letting my law practice distract me from my love of music for a while, I got into serious Beatles collecting in 1996. I wrote and published my first book on the Beatles in 1998 and have since written six more. I also edited and published the most recent edition of Perry Cox's Beatles Price Guide for American records. For details, check out my site www.beatle.net . So I guess you could say that I sure got my money's worth out of that $2.50 purchase of "Meet The Beatles!" I still have the album, which is VG at best. I play it on a vintage Beatles record player that I bought in 1998. That cost me a bit more than $2.50! My mom is very proud of my accomplishments in the Beatles world and is equally glad she bought me that album all those years ago. Bruce Spizer
I grew up in a musical household, thanks tomy mother who was a singer and a music fan and conversely, the radio was always on. I had no option but to become a music junkie myself with the radio blaring 24 hours a day. As early as 1956 I can remember by mom buying 45's. We had Guy Mitchell, Ricky Nelson, Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, Pat Boone, Theresa Brewer, Georgia Gibbs, The Four Lads, Julius LaRosa, Patti Page and many other 50's stars in the collection. But the 1st 45's I bought with my own money I remember like yesterday. Doesn't everybody? It was September of 1962 and a 6th grade school friend suggested I tune into WLS, a Chicago radio station I wasn't familiar with as I was only listening to the local Kalamazoo stations. I went home that afternoon and positioned our AM Zenith table radio so that it was angled properly to receive 890 from Chicago. What I heard that day changed my life forever. Some guy named Gene Taylor was counting down the Silver Dollar Survey and following him, Dick Biondi, the wildest guy I'd ever heard on the radio was screaming about all the great records he was playing. The guy was actually screaming on the radio!! Can you do that? Well I was hooked, line and sinker. Within a couple of weeks I'd saved enough allowance money to go downtown to Dodd's Music Center, where you could go into a private booth and acutally listen the records of your choice! Did it get any cooler than that? Nope. There at Dodd's I picked up my 1st Silver Dollar Survey. Scanning the the list for the week of September 15, 1962, I knew exactly what I wanted to buy: 1st, my favorite song at the time, "Sherry" by The Four Seasons. It was also at No. 1 on the Silver Dollar Survey. 2nd, "Monster Mash." Hey, I was 11, gimme a break! 3rd, "Alley Cat" by Bent Fabric. My mom liked the song so I knew I would score brownie points. And 4th, a song that I had been informed had fallen off the survey the week before but I still liked, "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" by Neil Sedaka. So there you go, 4 records that made a difference in a kids life. 4 records that I still own. 4 records that would eventually lead to a career. And 45 years later (appropriate number, huh?) I still get the same thrill of hearing a new song and going to the music store and making the purchase. It just doesn't get any better than that. Bob Stroud Rock And Roll Roots / WDRV
Hi Kent;
It was the summer of 1956 and I was a dj on polka station, WBKV in West Bend Wisconsin. Here I was playing “She’s To Fat For Me” by the Six Fat Dutchman for a living and a rock and roll monster was lurking inside of me. One day I heard Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps with Be-Bop-a-Lula on WIND in Chicago and I went out and bought the record. I did sneak it on the air at that polka station one day and both the audience and the owner of the station almost had a stroke! That was the moment I knew I had to make a dj career change. A year later I was indeed rocking and rolling at WRIT in Milwaukee and I never looked back! Clark Weber
I'D HAVE TO SAY THAT MY EARLY MUSICAL INFLUENCES WERE ALL PRE ROCK AND ROLL. MY MOTHER HAD A COLLECTION OF 78 RPM RECORDS AND WE HAD AN OLD WIND UP RECORD PLAYER THAT I COULD OPERATE. SO WHEN I WAS JUST A TINY LAD I WAS HEARING HER RECORDS OF PERRY COMO, BING CROSBY, TERESA BREWER, FRANKIE CARLE AND HIS HONKY TONK PIANO, EDDIE FISHER, DINAH SHORE AND DOZENS OF OTHERS. I WAS FASCINATED WITH THE WAY RECORDS SEEMED TO "FREEZE TIME". AROUND THE AGE OF KINDERGARTEN I HAD ALREADY ABSORBED THAT VIBE OF "RECORDS APPROACHING IMMORTALITY" ... A LITTLE BIT OF LIFE WAS CAPTURED FOREVER IN THAT TWO AND A HALF MINUTES. I REMEMBER VIVIDLY WHEN ELVIS PRESLEY HIT ... IT WAS LIKE A BOMB GOING OFF. I HAD A 78 OF "HOUND DOG B/W DON'T BE CRUEL". IT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST RECORDS I OWNED MYSELF. I ALWAYS LOVED FATS DOMINO AND GENE VINCENT. A BIT OF JERRY LEE AS WELL. THEN CAME PEOPLE WHO BLEW ME AWAY, SUCH AS SAM COOKE, BOBBY DARIN, AND JACKIE WILSON. I LIKED ALL KINDS OF RECORDS. "ONCE IN A WHILE" BY THE CHIMES STANDS OUT IN MY HEAD, AND "ONLY LOVE CAN BREAK A HEART" BY GENE PITNEY. THEN A BIT LATER .... THE BEATLES .... THEY DRASTICALLY CHANGED THE LIVES OF MYSELF AND THE OTHER GUYS IN THE DEVERONS. EVERYTHING CHANGED WHEN THE BEATLES CAME ALONG. THE SONGS WERE FRESH AND DIFFERENT ... AND THERE WERE TONS OF THEM. BURTON CUMMINGS
Mine is an unusual experience of record-buying. When aged 16, 45s were invented and we had a small record store in an upstairs room which stocked all the latest releases and had little booths with headphones so we could play them first before we bought them. then a year later, the little store moved to a big shop and the 45s were all laid out in their boxes, and one raked rack featured the Top 20 of the week. I was given a Saturday job in the store and reported for work after school at 12.30pm. I was lucky. I soon got into the swing of this and we'd sell anything up to 1,000 copies of the lasted top 10 and No.1. on that Saturday afternoon. I loved it because we were given a handful of the topsellers after we packed up and shut up shop. I was also asked to do DJ work before DJs and discos were invented. Hi-Fis, PAs, lighting rigs, and all that stuff came later. then I worked in the local theatre where gigs were staged and met young 60s stars without knowing they would become world famous. It was a great time to be a teenager and to meet and be close to the artists 'live' rather than on TV or on stage.
David parker / Editor / The Beat
Hey Kent ...
I have a very clear memory of my first 45's. The year is 1958 and my Dad would come home from work with a handful of 45's or LP's under his arm and he would always hand me one or two 45's and say, "Mitch,these are for you .... take care of them". They seemed so magical to me. A round piece of plastic that came alive with sounds from somewhere else ... musicians and singers playing their hearts out ... just for me ... on my little record player! And the labels ... they were great! Who could forget the seriousness of that black RCA label with "Nipper" barking into a Gramophone .... or that great ABC/Paramount Label with that circular design on top! Wow! I could identify an artist, just by looking at the labels by the age of 5!! I do believe my first 45 was "Love Me Tender" b/w "Anyway You Want Me" By Elvis Presley ... and to this day,when I hear either of those sides, I can smell my Moms kitchen and my Dad's after shave. Thanks for this great series Kent, and for helping me to bring back such wonderful memories. Mitch Schecter/The Rip Chords
Okay, mine is rather boring. My first purchase (and these are supposed to be the first record you bought with your own money) was the "Jailhouse Rock" EP from Elvis. However,I didn't buy it in 1958. If memory serves me right, it was in a box of older, but still new, records at the Montgomery Wards at Evergreen Plaza probably around 1962. (To liven up the story, that's the same mall that was recently shut down because their Christmas tree caught on fire!)
-Ron Smith
Good morning, Kent ... Boy, you don't want me to get any work done, do you? :) Could not help but comment on the "first 45" series you're doing. It's a nostalgic moment for me. Maybe 'therapy' is a more apt word. Back in the mid-50's -- when rock & roll hit like a bolt of thunder -- I was buying 45's so frequently, as in about every two or three weeks when I could save up enough allowance to purchase a 45 for $0.89 -- that I can't actually recall my 'first.' However, my 'introduction' to 45's preceded rock & roll by at least five or six years. Other than "Golden Records," those little yellow plastic 5" children's discs that came out in the early 40's, the first 45 RPM record I remember was Eddy Arnold's "Bouquet of Roses," issued on 'green' vinyl around 1949. It is one of my proudest possessions. And, by the way, Eddy, who will turn '90' in May of 2008, is still recording! David Sarnoff had changed the name of "Victor" to "RCA Victor" in 1946 and was looking to replace the shellac 78 with something smaller and more marketable. To say nothing of the fact that he wanted to come up with a gimmick to sell more phonographs! He introduced the 45 -- along with a little 'spindle' record player -- in 1949. We had one of those early record players and since it did not have an amp you had to hook it up to a radio via a small cable. What was so cool about 45's in those early years was that Sarnoff also decided to 'color code' the discs by style of music. "Genre" would have been a far, far too sophisticated word for the market he was trying to reach:) So, there was 'green' for country, 'black' for pop, 'red' for classical, 'sky blue' for International, 'blue' for what they called 'popular classical' (reportedly the color was selected to promote Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue"), 'yellow' for children's records, and 'cerise' (cherry) for rhythm and blues. I wish I could specifically remember my first 'rock' 45 -- but that was many years (and at least 10,000 records) ago!! My brother and I did have a Sun copy of Elvis' "Blue Moon of Kentucky" that we bought in a 'bargain bin' at Walgreen's Drug Store for $0.10 -- that's right TEN CENTS -- but that was not my first 45, I'm sure of that. I'm enjoying the series. Keep 'em coming!! Happy Holidays to you and all the 60's Shop readers! Fred Vail
kent ...... i love this topic ...... my first wax - 'rock 'n roll music' - by chuck berry .... i played the sucker until both my parents went nuts .......... another early buy - mother in law - by the new orleans funk man ernie k. doe. however, i like to recall that i lost my virginity listening to the grass roots - lets live for today ..... oh yah, the song lasted much longer than i did .......
chet coppock
Thanks for sharing, CHET ... I don't know about YOU guys, but I'll NEVER be able to listen to this song the same way again!!! (lol) kk
>>>In the summer of '58, I tried to acquire an EP with "Poor Little Fool" on it, but the fellow at the grocery store objected to me stuffing it in my pants and trying to get out the door without passing by the gal at the cash register. (Jim Southern)
>>>LOL ... so we've gone from a theme of "The First 45's You Ever Bought With Your Own Money" to "The First 45's I Ever Shoved Down My Pants and Shoplifted"!!!!! (lol)
kk
I'm rather partial to the story of the first single someone tried to shoplift!
-Ron Smith
Loved your story, Jim. Kind of reminds me of another now famous DJ and programmer I used to run with that did the same thing at the Marsh grocery store in Lawrence, Indiana where I bought my first two records ... only he used the bag from his paper route instead of his pants to acquire his new 45's. As I've mentioned before, my first two purchases were "Tallahassee Lassie" and "My Heart Is An Open Book", but my first two records were given to me at Christmas by the aforementioned DJ. It was Rick Nelson's first EP on Verve and Tommy Sands "Sands Storm" EP on Capitol. I've still got all of 'em. OKCitySlicker
Incredibly, we received a FEW emails from folks who obtained their FIRST 45's by way of the "five-finger discount"!!! Apparently, FORGOTTEN HITS is not only a GREAT place to share your musical memories, but it's ALSO become a nice place to "cleanse your soul" after all these years!!! (lol) kk
I never tried shoplifting 45s, but I started switching sleeves on bought 45s in 1968. My brother had bought "Hello Goodbye" when it came out and I wanted HIM to have the pic sleeve when it showed up later in stores. I looked around and quickly slipped another 45 I wanted into the Beatles sleeve and vice versa. So, I bought one 45, but switched sleeves. That started quite a binge of sleeve swapping for me. By the 70's, I was swapping sleeves for pic sleeves I did not even buy the 45 until much later because I just wanted the sleeve and didn't like the SONG! I guess the one thing I DID shoplift weekly was the Oklahoma City KOMA Tunedexes from our local Dodge City Montgomery Wards store. They would get ONE copy they would order off of weekly. They would write 5 or 6 next to ones they wanted that many copies of from distributors, I guess. Anyway, they displayed these in a plastic sheath, just putting the new in front of old every week. If no one was watching, I would slip the old one/ones out and take them home. SOMEONE had to see this 10 year old doing this, but no one ever said anything. Lucky for me! It reminded me of when I first saw the Mothers' "Absolutely Free" LP at that same store one day and wondered if it was actually a free album!! I am not sure if I asked or not, but if I had taken it, how could they dispute what I did?? :) Clark Besch
Hey Kent,
I was wondering if I was gonna respond to this first 45 thing as the first ones I remember were given to me I don't remember what 45 I first bought. I got my first record player for Christmas and my sister gave me her 45's I remember No particular place to go by chuck berry, and the crystals I think with then he kissed me and my most prized 45 death of an angel by Donald woods. My first record I bought with my own money was the Monkees first album. Now after reading vol. 7 of first 45's I can tell you the memories that most came to mind when you started this series.
I remember the first 45 I ever stole and I learned a valuable lesson that day. #1 don't steal, #2 if you are gonna steal don't steal the only copy of a 45 the store has and #3 and most important don't ask a clerk where to find the 45 you want to steal. that being said the record I stole that day was "They are coming to take me away" I remember leaving the store and the clerk following me down the street so I ducked into a clothing store and hid the record in some clothing and walked out the back door and then had to avoid the record store for the next year. I decided I never wanted to do that again. Trish
Kent: Oh boy, here we go ... seeing the email from the guy that had stolen his first "45". I'll never forget, my sophomore year in high school, I was running around with a bunch of hooligans in Denver, and our Catholic High School was just blocks from downtown Denver. Well one day, 5 or six of us guys get out of school, walk downtown and waltz into J.C. Penny's, all intent on a five finger discount on something ... ANYTHING. Well I pick up the 45 of the Stones "19th Nervous Breakdown", put it in my history book, the other guys all grabbed something and we all exited the store at the same time, only to have the biggest store gumshoe I've ever seen tear out after us. Of course we all run in different directions, well wouldn't you know it, I was the guy he caught, he scared the crap out of me and told me I was going to jail, then got all my personal info and said he was going to call my dad THAT night and tell him. Well one of the guys I was with was on the football team and had a deep voice, so he came over to the house that night and was going to answer the phone as my dad. Didn't work ... long story short, "Wild Bill" was grounded for 2 months, my dad shaved my head (because he said "Hey, if you can't act like a man, at least you'll look like one"). People pointed at laughed at me in high school and that was the LAST time I ever took anything without paying for it. Everytime I hear "19th Nervous Breakdown" I CRINGE! "Wild" Bill Cody
>>>my first 45 was a song called "the dar town strutters ball" by who i don't really remember ---- i think bob crosby ---- bing's brother. out of all the thousands of 45's i still have today, i can't find it, i must have lost it. (big carl)
For Big Carl’s benefit, versions of “The Darktown Strutter’s Ball” were released on 45s by the following artists: Ray Anthony (Capitol), Seymour (HB), Lou Monte (RCA), Russ Morgan (Decca), The Platters (Mercury), Lester Lanin (in a medley; Epic) and Brad Swanson (TBRD). For some reason I’ll bet that the version he had was Russ Morgan’s, even thought it was Monte’s that hit #7 in 1954. Gary Theroux
To the guy who's 1st 45 was " Dark Town Strutters Ball".I know that song well, I remember at family get togethers my uncle would get out his guitar and that was one of the songs he always played, I don't think I ever heard the actual record, but I've heard the song. Mike
Kent, Reading all these First 45's stories, one thing that seems constant is that everyone comments not just on the record, but on the whole purchase experience. The store that sold records always features prominently -- Ron Smith mentions the Montgomery Ward in Evergreen Park, which was really pretty big-time for the era. More common seem to be the "small store upstairs with listening booths" sort of environment. My purchase was at Polk Brothers Appliances in downtown Joliet, Il, which looked just like the appliance store in "That Thing You Do" -- the reason that scene resonated so strongly with me. The Saturday pilgrimage was to Polk Brothers to listen to and buy 45's, then over Bill Mueller's Drum Studio for my lesson, then to the Wurlitzer store to hang out with the musicians, and eye up the guitars and drums. No Rose Records, Guitar Center or Sam Ash Music in that era, that's for sure.
Rick Barr / The New Colony Six
Great to hear from one of my musical 'heroes' -- Al Kooper -- in your newsletter today (Dec 31), Kent. And his remembrance is followed by another friend (and fellow 'dinosaur'), Austin Roberts. It was also nice reading good guy Mitch Shecter's remembrances, but Mitch, "you're a 'kid' compared to some of us who read the sheet!! :)
Yes, keep this "first 45's" alive. Great comments, observations, and rock and roll trivia from some great folks, many of whom not only remember those great years of rock but helped 'create' it as well! Kooper goes back to the "Royal Teens" days of New Jersey / New York doo woop music. Bob Gaudio and Bill Crandell were also part of that group, Gaudio jumping ship to create The Four Lovers (i.e., Four Seasons) and Bill, "The Knickerbockers."
Ironically, when I first booked Medley and Hatfield in August / September '63, I vaguely remember them talking about The Royal Teens. Was there a 'connection' there? By the time I booked them they were on the small "Moonglo" label -- I still vividly remember the blue label with silver print. I believe they only had the one hit at the time, "Little Latin Lupe Lu," but that was not to be their last!! RIP, Bobby.
One other thing, one of your readers, Bob Mayben, laid claim to being your 'oldest' list member -- but since I don't know Bob, there's no way to challenge him:) I know I'm NOT the oldest because Kooper is just a little less than two months older than me:) And, after my conversation last week with "Wild" Bill Cody, I know I have him beat by several years -- but how about some 'demographics,' Kent. I'm eager to see if Mayben IS, in fact, the oldest dinosaur on your list!! :)
May 2008 be blessed to you, your family and ALL the fellow "60's Shop" readers out there!!
Fred Vail
Treasure Isle Recorders, Inc.
Nashville, TN
"Music City, USA"
>>>And remember how a lot of the girls used to put an address label on the record to identify it as theirs when they brought it to a party??? Well, just for kicks, these guys would sometimes call the phone number on an old 45 ... some 25 years later ... and say, "Hey, Diane ... I've got your copy of BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO here." lol (kk)
Check out THIS link ... Was This Your Record?
Tom Diehl
Here's a response from Brian who runs WAS THIS YOUR RECORD? website ... he's now joined our FORGOTTEN HITS Mailing List, too!!! (kk)
Hi Kent,
I have always thought this was an interesting topic, thus the reason I added the page to my website. Of course I took a few liberties with my descriptions, but it is all in fun. I have only heard from people who used to know one of the person's records I have listed. I am still waiting for that elusive person that actually owned one of the records ...... I have had an oldies radio show on a small local station for over 20
years, but am certainly not too well known like most of your subscribers
appear to be. Please do add me to your mailing list! I also have a weekly blog that covers 3 or 4 lesser known artists or music related topics, that are probably only interesting to those that like digging way beyond the top 100 charts:
http://www.colorradio.blogspot.com/
Thanks for including me, and the best for 2008!
Brian
I bought my first 45 in 1957. It was Black Slacks by Joe Bennett & the Sparkletones. I remember that I bought it in the A&P grocery store. Kris
It was 1962 and The Lonely Bull by Herb Alpert was all over the radio, I just had to have it. No one in my family had ever bought a 45 before (we only had a 78 radiogram) but my parents gave me a little portable record player for my 14th birthday, which helped fuel my desire for a career in radio - which has so far lasted 42 years. As soon as I had that player I hopped a train to the nearest major shopping centre with a record store, and for 50 cents Herb was mine. And yes, I've still got that single. Gary H
Mine was "Oh-Oh I'm Falling In Love Again" and "Ring-A-Ling-A-Lario" by Jimmie Rodgers.
Larry G.
It was 1966, and the record was "Good Vibrations" by the Beach Boys at the local Shop Rite Supermarket checkout lane. They would stock about 10 new discs for the week. I wasn't too thrilled though when I played the flip side and heard a (throwaway?) instrumental, "Let's Go Away For Awhile". I felt that I'd wasted my 79 cents on it. Fred C
My first 45 was a birthday present from my 6th grade girlfriend. It was Go Jimmy Go by Jimmy Clayton on ACE records. I still have it. Robert
And then ...
Having thought about it for 24 hrs I have to correct my original post . "Go Jimmy Go" was the first "serious" rock 45 but much earlier my mom & dad sent off peanut butter labels and got me "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" w/ "Green Grow The Lilacs" on the flip side. I still have that as well.
MemphisBoy
Well I don't remember which one was rung up first at the register! However, I bought two 45's at the same time for my first 45's. I had 78's prior to. Year was 1956 and the Continentals' "Dear Lord"/"Fine Frame" on Whirlin' Disc was one. The other was the Valentines "Woo Train"/"Why" on Rama Records. Both "Dear Lord" & "Woo Woo Train" were being blasted on the radio by Alan Freed, Dr. Jive & Alan Fredericks.
If I remember correctly, these 45's set me back 59 cents a piece.
Bruce
Hi Kent, my man,I don't know if you heard but Scott Shannon has picked up on your First 45's on True Oldies. He's getting great responses! Imitation is the greatest form of flattery and Scott sure knows good stuff when he sees it. I'd be lost without my 60's Shop and my oldies station 106.3. I really appreciate both of you - thanks again! Pat Fogel
Oh yeah, I've been listening ... he's been playin' the FIRST 45's for WEEKS now!!! (This series is PERFECT for radio ... and I KNEW it would be!!!) In fact, last week he called me, put me on the air and then played MY FIRST 45 ... ITSY BITSY TEENIE-WEENIE YELLOW POLKA-DOT BIKINI by BRIAN HYLAND!!!
>>>The 1st 45 I bought was a 3 songs on each side. I can only remember 2 of the songs right now ..... "Ya-Ya" and "Finger Poppin' Time" ... they were on a yellow and black label, and I was just 8. (Vicki)
>>>EPs were very popular in the late '50's and early '60's ... don't know if the one you're referring to was some type of compilation EP featuring a variety of artists or not ... but it SOUNDS like you're describing the old MGM label ... and FINGER POPPIN' TIME was done by HANK BALLARD AND THE MIDNIGHTERS on KING while YA YA was a hit for LEE DORSEY on FURY Records ... so I'm guessing these were either cover versions of these tunes or one of those "sound-alike" hits of the day type of releases. Amazing how we remember this stuff!!! (kk)
>>>The 45's of 3 songs on each side, etc .... are knockoff 45's by companies such as Tops, Big 4, etc ....however this one is probably on Promenade (which was a yellow and black label). Cheap to buy and an 8 year old probably wouldn't care, just to have the song was enough! Tom Diehl
This was probably the "Big 4 Hits" label out of Cincinnati, which generally had two or three songs on a side and they were all cover versions of hit songs. It was usually yellow with black writing. The company was similar to the "Tops" label, which did the same thing and probably started the trend. These EPs were very inexpensive, usually 49 to 69 cents, and came with generic covers showing people dancing or partying. Some of the "memorable" artists singing were Eileen Scott, Jack Daniels (seriously), Art Rouse, the Roy-Cliffs and their most often used group, the Four Jacks. I have a bunch of these awful EPs which I probably got when I used to offer someone an amount for their entire collection. I must admit that I actually purchased one back in 1956 as I saw that the Four Jacks were singing "Earth Angel" and Ko Ko Mo." Much to my dismay, as soon as I put the record on I knew immediately that these were not the Jacks (black group) that I had expected, but some white group who sounded like a bad imitation of the Crew Cuts, which was definitely not what I was anticipating. Danny Guilfoyle
First 45’s I ever got, as Christmas gifts, were on the Hit label. Three of those sound-a-like recordings, including “Don’t Hang Up” by the Dacrons, which I ended up preferring to the original Orlons record. Tony Waitekus
>>>My first purchase was "Have I the Right" by the Honeycombs. The keyboard had such a unique sound, I just had to own it. (denzack)
Hey Kent ...
The other day, a Forgotten Hits member mentioned The Honeycombs' "Have I The Right", and that "unique keyboard sound". Actually, that's not a keyboard at all. It's a Guitar played by my friend and yours, the great Vic Flick.
The track was produced by Joe Meek who had a way of creating very unique and different sounds on his records. Maybe Vic can write in and tell us a little about that actual session.
Mitch Schecter/The Rip Chords
>>>When my mother found out I had bought new record by The Supremes, "I'm Livin' In Shame," she shrieked, "How could you waste good money on such a stupid record?", embarrassing the hell out of me. (MFPing)
Ping -- I'm sorry she embarrassed you in public like that but . . . your mother has impeccable taste.
.......... Ed44
>>>I began buying my own albums when I got into high school; first purchases were by: The Eagles, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, Dan Fogelberg, Pure Prairie League, Gino Vannelli and Steely Dan ... and The Brothers Johnson's Look Out For Number 1 ... I really loved that album! (Cherricat / Mrs. K.)
If you hadn't already nabbed her, I'd be proposing ... Diana
LOL! Thanks, DIANA ... this one made my day!!! (lol) kk
Kent,
Your e-music-columns really have been a knockout with the First 45's and the Phil Spector series. It is great to hear the "behind the scenes" stories behind classic records from the legendary artists involved in their recording and production ---- every one from Al Kooper to Bill Medley, etc. Scott Shannon's words concerning the song: "Somethin' Else" by Eddie Cochran really caught my attention. A couple of years ago I caught Mike Smith at a Rock n' Roll show in Denver and, as to be expected, he was really astounding ------ still the great pipes and when he autographed the CD I purchased, he was as cordial and friendly as you would hope. So when I got home and put on his CD it was a killer, and one song especially caught my ear. It sounded familiar but I couldn't quite place it until I read the writing credits and it said: Sheeley / Cochran and I thought it must have been a hit by Eddie Cochran. So when Scott commented with his stories concerning the song, and you enclosed it in your column it really validated why it stood out on the CD. Kent, I am enclosing Mike Smith's version so you and Scott can hear it. With Mike Smith's big soulful voice, he nails it. You can certainly see why he carried the Dave Clark Five to the charts countless times. Keep the stories at the Daily Planet coming Mr. Kent because they really are Super, man!
Best Regards,
Tim Kiley/KDZA
>>>My first 45's was Del Shannon - Runaway, flipside Hats Off To Larry. (Sam)
>>>Actually, HATS OFF TO LARRY was the FOLLOW-UP Single ... unless this was one of those TWO-SIDED HITS Reissue Singles ... but I don't think so. The original flipside of RUNAWAY was a tune called JODY, which earned a few votes in our recentFAVORITE, FORGOTTEN B-SIDESSeries! (The60sShop)
And the B side to Hats Off To Larry was Don't Gild The Lily Lilly, written by my old friend Billy Meshel.
Here's to a great 2008 for all.
God Bless,
Austin Roberts
>>>My first 45 was "This Diamond Ring" by Gary Lewis! I ordered it off the back of Kellogg's Corn Flakes! It was free with the box tops of several boxes of corn flakes. (Lynn)
That must've been the Doin' The Flake EP then! It also included the song Little Miss Go-Go in addition to the song Doin' The Flake. It came with a picture sleeve, too.... most copies these days are found without the picture sleeve.
Tom Diehl
Probably so ... we've covered this record a couple of times now in FORGOTTEN HITS! (kk)
Can you ask Lynn what the flip-side of her copy of "This Diamond Ring" was? As you know, it was also MY first 45 and I had "Tijuana Wedding" on mine.
Scott Levison
Pinellas Park, FL
As described above, I believe this was a special promotional EP that came via a promotion with KELLOGS Cereals ... meaning there was no real B-SIDE ... 3 tracks as I recall: DOIN' THE FLAKE / THIS DIAMOND RING / LITTLE MISS GO-GO (kk)
I'm really enjoying the 1st 45's thing, it stirs a lot of memories. I know I've already told you my 1st was Help/I'm Down, but I think about wasted money on 45's too, like "Brand New Key" by Melanie ... What the Hell was I thinking when I bought that one???
Keep up the good work KK!!!!!!!!
Happy New Year!!!!!
Mike
kk: All our talk about shoplifted 45's inspired THIS comment from THEONEBUFF:
I was born February 20, 1935 and I read all this stuff about first 45s with pure pleasure. My first purchased music came in a time before chain stores, or at least it seems that way. The little record store around the corner was just that and I carried my brittle 78 RPM records home very carefully. Try stuffing one of THOSE things down your trousers!
Hil
LOLOL! Just another reason why Hil is one of our most beloved list members!
-- Mrs. K
I recall buying my older sister "You Didn't Have To Be So Nice" at the E.P.'s Monkey Wards one Christmas. I use to work in the Plaza at Tart N Tray inside Carson's as a pearl diver for a brief time. If you aren't familiar with the Tart N Tray, it was a cafeteria type restaurant which was a real big hang out for teens back in the 60's. My buddy Skip and I were fired for discarding dirty dishes and trays behind the wall and under the conveyor for a week or so. I actually used the place as a job reference and was hired down the street at Evergreen's Hollaway House for the next 2 high school years. After one week on the job seniority I got the same buddy Skip a job working there. Jerry
I listened to music on the radio and bought Beatles albums. It was not until Paperback Writer in 1966,that I bought a 45.It eventually had plenty of company.
Mark
kent .....
i'm so glad my girlfriend, Doreen, turned me on to your site. i am totally enjoying it. my first 45 was bought for me by my dad, who i think you know was Art Carney. he loved music, especially jazz piano. Oscar Peterson was like a god to him. anyway, my first 45 was "Cappucina" by Nat King Cole. great record which came out in the late 50's. i was about 8 yrs. old. i still have it today. anyhow, i just had to write you and thank you for all the time you put into your site. Very much appreciated.
Sincerely,
Paul Carney
Wow! Thanks for writing. (I'm not sure I knew that ART CARNEY's son was on our list ... so I appreciate the email ... and the participation!!!) Glad you're enjoying FORGOTTEN HITS! (kk)
My first 45 came as quite a shock to my parents. Our home was filled with records as my father Jimmie Rodgers was a record star in his own right. Dad was very cool but fairly middle of the road at that time. I walked in the house at about 9 years old with my first 45 purchase of Joe Tex singing "I Gotcha" bw/ Mama's Prayer. To this day I can still remember the look on Dads face when I started howling at the top of my lungs "I GOTCHA .. thought I didn't see ya now didn't cha!" all through the house. I would sneak up behind anybody I could find and scream "I GOTCHA!" It was all so entertaining. Great memories. Michael Rodgers / - Roatan Honduras.
How cool is that?!?!? ANOTHER "Famous Son" on our list!!! Yeah, I can't picture JIMMIE singin' along with JOE TEX on THIS one!!! (lol) Thanks for sending, MICHAEL ... glad you're enjoying FORGOTTEN HITS! (kk)
Kent:
Thanx for including Mike Smith's "Something Else", it is definitely better than the original as is the DC5's "Do You Love Me" unfortunately I'm forced to play the Contours version on the radio and banned from playing the DC5's version which to me is much MUCH BETTER!
Wild Bill Cody
I wasn't familiar with MIKE SMITH's version so thanks go out to TIM KILEY for sharing that one with us. HE hadn't made the connection between this tune and the EDDIE COCHRAN original, a #56 CASH BOX Hit in 1959, until he read SCOTT SHANNON's account of HIS First 45. (By the way, SCOTT told me that it was a REAL pleasure to hear his all-time favorite song sung by one of his all-time favorite singers!) I've mentioned before that I was fortunate enough to catch MIKE SMITH in concert when he passed through the midwest a few years back ... right before his accident ... and it was, without question, one of the BEST concerts I've ever seen in my life. (I don't remember them selling CDs out the lobby afterwards, however, or I SURELY would have bought the one that this came from!!!) Here's hoping that MIKE will warble a note or two at this year's ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME Ceremony ... he has one of the GREAT voices of rock and roll. (By the way, DIDJAKNOW?-1: SOMETHIN' ELSE was written by SHARON SHEELEY, who was injured in the same car accident that took EDDIE COCHRAN's life???)
DIDJAKNOW?-2: MIKE SMITH CD is now COMPLETELY out of print ... I talked to some of the folks at his website and there hope is that now that MIKE is out of the hospital, efforts will be made to have more copies pressed and offered for sale via the website. We'll keep you posted. (I DID find a VINYL copy of the LP on EBAY for around $30 if anyone is interested.)
Kent,
The first single I remember buying myself was "Runaround" by The Regents on Gee Records, I believe. It was the single after "Barbara Ann" and before their next single called "Liar". I loved those songs. My father liked the 45 so much he made a deal with me. I wouldn't play that record when he was around and he wouldn't kill me!
Strangest thing, when Sha Na Na was playing the Steve Paul Scene, on West 46th street in Manhattan in 1969, after a night of jamming, at about five o'clock AM, I got a cab back up to Harlem where I shared an apartment with another group member. When I got in, the cab driver asked me, in a heavy duty Bronx accent if I was one of "Those Sha Na Nas". He went on to talk to me for over an hour about a group he was
in when he was a kid: "The Regents". While the story he told was a textbook case of a band being ripped off by everyone involved with them, his love of the music was
untarnished. It was one of the greatest nights of my life. Here's to "The Regents, Doo-wop and first 45's! Henry Gross
Lucky Devil by Carl Dobkins, Jr. was one of my oldest brother's first 45's. He (like Kent) also had "ItsyBitsy Teeny Weeny Bikini" on Keen (with pic of Brian taped to sleeve that he got somewhere to make his own pic sleeve at the time) as well as "Transistor Sister" by Freddie Cannon and his first was "Running Bear" by Johnny Preston. My OTHER younger than above brother, but older than me brother, had first 45s of "Jump Over" and "Muskrat Rumble" by Freddie Cannon as well. Shout out to Freddie: WE LOVE YOU! We still have those 45s and always loved the fact that Swan gave you pic sleeves for most all of them! I gotta say that mylove for the DC5 and their sax rock had to be in part from the great sax stuff on your rockin 45s. Bothyour 45s and the DC5 had that same incredible energy. Now that the DC5 are in the RNR Hall of Shame, Freddie needs to be there. I'm not saying anymore on that horrible Hall of Shame stuff, tho. I was right there buying "Action" and "Dedication Song" in 65. I still remember all the kids holding the hips of the one in front in a chain (what dance is that?) behind Freddie as he did the song on Bandstand. So many great memories of Freddie's music!!! WLSClark
I can't remember if you had featured this answer song before but after reading about your first 45 purchase I wanted to make sure that you had it. I'm still in one of my old PCs transferring songs. It's called "Four Shy Girls" and was done by The Girlfriends.
Danny
I think bit was my aunt who more or less introduced me to music. I can remember listening to "Oh Carole" at my grandmothers at the beginning of the 60s. She would have been about 17 at the time, I was a small boy of course. The first record I bought with my own money was Hedgehoppers Anonymous "Its Good News Week". I was about 8 at the time. But it takes me back to the days when I used to buy singles at a record shop down town called "Thornes". Great days, at least when I think back - saving my pocket money to go down into the town to Thornes. The records were sold in the basement in a little room and had their own maroon colored cardboard sleeves with Thornes printed on the front. It doesn't seem to be the same anymore, going to the huge electronic hypermarkets to buy CDS... ah the memories! Dave
my first 45 - myself and my siblings had enough money
to buy a 45 and we chose Green Door by Jim Lowe -
a great track, but i was disappointed by the short playing time and i did not like the b side - Little Man In Chinatown -
Brian the poet
Glenbrook NSW Australia
I believe it was ''Atom Bomb Baby''by The Five Stars on the Kernel record label.
Kay
I didn't buy 45s in the '50s. It always seemed that the 45 was out-of-date so soon. (Who knew about collecting back then?) I much preferred to drop a quarter into the jukebox and make my six selections. Next week there would be new songs I could hear for my quarter. I also chose LPs over 45s because I got tired of putting pennies and nickels on the tone arm to keep the record from skipping after the second or third song had played. There was 1 45 I recall buying. I wasn't hearing it much on the radio, and the jukeboxes didn't have it, so I had no choice. I'm sure it wasn't the first, but it's the one that I recall- Long Line Rider by Bobby Darin. I might still have it.
I
The first 45's I purchased were "My Bonnie Came Back" by Duane Eddy and "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" by The Platters. My first 45 gift was "Young Love" by Sonny James. The first bought were from my birthday money. The next few days, my Dad gave me money to go buy "16 Candles" by the Crests and "Let's Love" by Johnny Mathis. My mother's birthday was his reason. Lee
I was living in Rome, NY in 1962 and on cold nights all we would do was watch TV. One of the shows we would regularly watch was "The Donna Reed" show and I developed a huge crush on Shelley Fabares. When she sang "Johnny Angel" on that show, I nearly flipped. I remember I got on my bike and went to the store and spent part of my allowance money on my first 45-"Johnny Angel" and from then on from then on it was "Shelley who was an angel to ME".
Sergio
The first 45 I ever got was a gift - "Alvin's Harmonica" by the Chipmunks, along with an album, Dean Martin's "Swingin' Down Yonder." (Actually, Dino's laid back vocal style fits nicely with the easygoing Southern image.)
My first two 45s I bought with my own allowance money - bought at the same time when I was 10 - were Bobby Rydell's "Volare" and Paul Anka's "Hello Young Lovers." Love that big band, big beat sound!
-- Ken Williamson in Burbank, CA
My first 45 was Bad To Me by Billy J Kramer, which my sister gave to me. GE
WHAT GREAT STORIES!!! THERE WERE SOME GREAT GREAT RECORDS AND SONGS BACK THEN! TO ME THE THE BREAK THROUGH RECORD OF R&B AND ROCK AND ROLL
WAS: SHAKE RATTLE AND ROLL / BY / BIG JOE TURNER ... THIS SONG LIVES ON ...
YOU HEAR IT ONE TIME AND YOU'RE SINGING IT! HAPPY NEW YEAR
FREDDY BOOM BOOM CANNON
Thanks, this is your best series ever.
Dolph
Thanks!!! Keep 'em comin', folks ... we LOVE it!!! (kk)
What a delightful assortment of music and memories - great stuff - my first 45 (which I still have) was Frankie Avalon's "Venus" (Chancellor Records) that plays well on my refurbished 1950s era RCA Victor record player - it's a delightful machine with true high fidelity sound. Makes all those original pressing 45s a delight to listen to and a thrill to watch change and drop onto the turntable - vinyl rules! Mike
Well, I finally decided to get in on your First 45 being that my first 45 has not been mentioned. (I wonder why!) My first 45 was The All American Boy. There seems to be some controversy concerning the artist . Some say it was Bobby Bare others say Bill Parsons. My 45 had Bill Parsons as the artist but I've read through the years that it was actually Bobby Bare. Anyway, I didn't actually purchase the 45 as I was all of 8 or 9 years old. I acquired it through a radio show called "Name it and Claim it". All you had to do was be the first to call in when "The" song was played and if you could name it, it was yours and of course I could name any tune in 2 notes back then lol. As far as the first 45 I purchased I don't think I ever did purchase a 45 being that I had 4 older sisters and they had every 45 we wanted. My actual first purchase was Meet the Beatles album because by then my sisters were not into the Beatles so I was on my own. After that it was every Beatles album I could get my hands on. Funny how some memories stick with you ..... Dove
Loving this first 45s talk. Before I knew, I thought EP had something to do with Elvis Presley & I wasn't sure who LP was. My first EP WAS an Elvis Presley record on RCA Victor label, I believe, so you can see where that one came from. I Was The One was one of the songs ... that one had a quaint message, didn't it?
OK ....
Here's my first post to this group ....
First 45:
Rivieras, "Count Every Star" (Coed). Loved - still love - their rich harmonies throughout, and the bass-and-chorus interplay on the "count now" section. The huge ending still gets me every time.
Second 45:Tommy Sands, "Teenage Crush," proving that I was still a little kid at the time. (Dumb flip, "Hep Dee Hootie," is still a VERY guilty pleasure.) I confess to have never outgrown my taste for good doo-wop or good pop, despite a long history in progressive rock and a still-eager appetite for new music.
First 78 (!):Frank Chacksfield & His Orchstra, the original "Ebb Tide," betraying my classical roots. My piano teacher said the song was structurally "elementary," but it has certainly endured.
Second 78:David Whitfield, "Cara Mia" (backed by Mantovani!) Again, betraying my classical roots; I never stayed with opera, however. As much as I like this, I dislike Jay & The Americans' version, although I appreciate Jay Black's amazing lung power.
Coolest rock & roll 78s I own:one Elvis on Sun (I think it's "That's Alright, Mama", but it's been years without a viable 78 player); Playboys' "So Good" (Tetra - New York doo-wop); some Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers and Cleftones on Gee. All are also on either 45, LP or CD, so I do play the songs if not the original copies.
Country Paul
(happy to be aboard)
Hi Kent,
I remember my first 45, it was Sukiyaki, don't know who it's by, and never knew what they said, but I loved it non the less. I played it over and over and over again, much to my family's dismay. I could even sing along with it, parroting the syllables of Japanese.
Take Care,
Cathy
Kent -
My first 45 record was "You Don't Have to Be A Baby To Cry" by the Caravelles. It was not one of Rock and Roll's greatest hits but was my first purchase. It was in the early 60's and I remember I used my Christmas money to go to Norsworthy's Music Store in Vernon , Texas to purchase it. Buddy
Kent,
I enjoy reading people's accounts of their first 45. For me it was "Sink the Bismarck
" by Johnny Horton in the spring of 1960. I bought it at a 5 & 10 cent store (remember those?) in my hometown of Lexington, KY. It was 99 cents (no sales tax in those days) -- a lot of money at the time. A haircut was also a dollar. I recall later that year hearing the news that Horton had died in a car wreck. Buddy Holly's death had not registered with me, but the death of Johnny Horton did, and at the age of 10, I was quite sad.
Dan Crabtree
I haven't contributed to the "First 45s" feature for a couple of reasons, number one of which is the fact that I've always been an LP kinda guy. Our family didn't have a whole lot of what's now known as disposable income when I was growing up (cue weepy violins) so when I had a little extra $$, I tried to make it stretch as far as I could. By my brand of logic, it made more sense to spend $2.67 for a mono copy of an album and get 12 songs rather than spend $0.79 for 2 songs on a 45. I can remember the first 3 albums that I bought - The Rolling Stones / Out of Our Heads, Bob Dylan / Bringing it All Back Home and Simon & Garfunkel / Sounds of Silence - but I couldn't even remember ever buying a 45. But, after reading some of the responses to the "First 45s" thread, a little light bulb went off. I do remember buying a 45! I had heard Dylan's "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window" on the radio. It knocked me out. Loved it. But I was in the minority. Radio airplay for that song quickly dried up. I couldn't hear it anywhere on the dial. I figured I'd just have to wait to get it on Dylan's next album but somewhere I heard or read that it was only to be released as a single and not issued on an LP. So, I trekked to the local discount department store and coughed up my money for a copy of the single. I now remember later on buying another Dylan 45, "I Want You" (with picture sleeve) that had that great live version of "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" as its B-Side. Other than those 2 singles, however, I can't recall buying any other 45's back in the 60's. The LP habit grew and grew until it now has taken over waaaaay too much space in our house. I've picked up plenty of 45's along the way, but nearly all of those have been on the wholesale/re-sell market. At any rate, add me to the list of "First 45ers" now that the fog has cleared (at least temporarily) from my memory banks.
................ Ed44
Ok lets go back a few years, I already told you my first 45 was mother-in-law, now I'll tell you my first 78 -- it was poor old kaw liga by hank Williams
date of birth 5/25/1945; gonna be 63
Forever3fandasr
First 45’s I ever got, as Christmas gifts, were on the Hit label. Three of those sound-a-like recordings, including “Don’t Hang Up” by the Dacrons, which I ended up preferring to the original Orlons record. Deluxe Music on Milwaukee Ave in Chicago was indeed a great place. I found it in the 80’s. They had listening booths in there, although they weren’t operational by that time. The guy there told me they had a ton of records in the basement, but would never let me down there. They are closed now. I wonder what was down there and were those records ended up. When WFYR / Chicago was an oldies station, they had an advertiser called “Universal Music” on Ashland Ave. So I went there. The place was huge. Not only did they have tons of new stuff, but they must have had 20 or 30 banquet tables with cut out 45’s all for 9 cents. I’d take the EL there and spend hours looking at 45’s. Tony Waitekus
Hi there!
First, I would like to say 'thanks' for sending the newsletters - I enjoy reading them and really do appreciate all the effort and hard work that goes into sending them out. The first record I ever bought was ... (are ya ready for this one?) - "Love Is Strange" by Mickey and Sylvia - BUT - I was only 10 years old! However, the first record I ever OWNED was "Blueberry Hill" by Fats Domino (which I still have). It was given to me by my uncle with a neat little record player to play it on. I have to say that my parents (especially my dad) really liked this 'new thing' called Rock N Roll. They had no objections to it what-so-ever. (Altho - Mom hated "Little Richard" - Dad loved him!) Having a brother 4 years older that me exposed me to the music at a pretty early age ... which was great for me. I remember, we were always allowed to spend our allowance, or any xmas, birthday money on anything we wanted. - so of course - it was records! records! records! Such nice memories. Oldeebutgoodie
Grew up in a small city in north Al. Named Arab. Went to work in a Tv repair shop in 1963. The shop also sold 45's . The first one I purchased and brought home was Walk Like a Man by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. I still have the record today. Enjoy the Newsletter very Much ... Keep up the good work.
Troy
It took me a long time to locate my old LPs and 45s to be able to answer this question. I was surprised to find I had only 6 45s total; apparently I always went for the LPs (over 250). I do remember my very first record of any sort was a Christmas gift the year I was 11 - The Monkees' "Headquarters". I did get copies of the first two LPs for my 12th birthday. The first 45 was The Monkees' Colgems release "I'm a Believer" with the flip side of "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone" (little surprise there), with the picture jacket.
Anita
I didn't buy 45s in the '50s. It always seemed that the 45 was out-of-date so soon. (Who knew about collecting back then?) I much preferred to drop a quarter into the jukebox and make my six selections. Next week there would be new songs I could hear for my quarter. I also chose LPs over 45s because I got tired of putting pennies and nickels on the tone arm to keep the record from skipping after the second or third song had played. There was 1 45 I recall buying. I wasn't hearing it much on the radio, and the jukeboxes didn't have it, so I had no choice. I'm sure it wasn't the first, but it's the one that I recall- Long Line Rider by Bobby Darin. I might still have it. I
The first 45's I purchased were "My Bonnie Came Back" by Duane Eddy and "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" by The Platters. My first 45 gift was "Young Love" by Sonny James. The first bought were from my birthday money. The next few days, my Dad gave me money to go buy "16 Candles" by the Crests and "Let's Love" by Johnny Mathis. My mother's birthday was his reason. Lee
Can't remember exactly what might have been the first 45 I ever bought [probably Elvis, Jerry Lee or Little Richard] but I do remember the very first record I bought with my own money was a 78 "Lotta Lovin" - Gene Vincent.
coodercat
One of those great records in my sister's collection of 45's. She's still got her copy packed away in one of those boxes that used to have 75 45s in them. She had two boxes and I'll bet I spent 5 nights a week just listening to them instead of doing my homework. I think I was rewarded a whole lot more for the music than I would have been studying algebra and biology.
I got “Way Down Yonder” by Freddy Cannon for my 4th Birthday in March, 1960! Ken
I've been lurking long enough and this first 45 trend has pushed me to come out in the open, but mainly to try and remember what was my first 45. Living in France in the late 50's and early 60's meant that it wasn't easy getting US artist records in those days. There was one weekly 30 minutes radio program in which some woman apparently based in New York played the latest rock and pop releases. I'll never forget her, she molded my taste in music forever. This is when I heard for the first time Elvis, Bobby Darin, Bobby Vee, Bobby Rydell, Gary US Bonds, Freddy Cannon, you name them, she played them all. My father had the first tape recorder I ever saw, I quickly managed to make it work and I religiously recorded those programs. I still have some of them ! The next step was to try and get hold of some of these records, but that's another story which brings me back to the topic of the day. I think it may well be "My Prayer" by The Platters (which, by the way, was a huge hit in France). At about the same time there was also Paul Anka and "Diana". So it's got to be one of those two. After that there was no stop and I started collecting records up until today. Which explains the huge size of my collection . Frank
my grandmother bought me several for my birthday, the only 2 i remember of that group are 'the rain, the park and other things', by the cowsills, and 'come on down to my boat, baby' by every mothers' son.
jim trawicki
austin, tx
Hi Kent,
My first 45 was " Take Good Care Of My Baby " by Bobby Vee. I bought it at Polk Bros. ( Remember those stores?) It would be just the beginning of many I would buy there. I also remember hiding in the corner of one of their TV rooms to watch " Bonanza " in color about the same time. NBC and the peacock. Of course, that is another subject all together. Thanks for putting me on the list. It's just too much fun.
Bill Emerson
Holy Moly! Some of these first 45's people are writing to you about make mine seem new. My first 45 was My Special Angel ... but not by Bobby Helms or Keely Smith {never even HEARD that version!}, but the 1968 version by The Vogues. I was 14 and I had a "boyfriend" whom this song just reminded me of. If I was home sick from school, I called the radio station to ask them to play it and also several times a day after school. I'm sure they got sick of hearing from me! LOL I finally decided I had to have a copy of it. So, I used some of the money I made from my paper route to buy it. My older sister had all of the Beatles songs so I didn't have to worry about hearing them .... she played them all of the time anyway.
~Sharon {TokeiTwo}
When I was but a wee lass. And already knew I would be a music lover. As I think I came out of the womb singing. And never stopped singing. Does this scare you? Anyway, on my 6th. birthday, (when Mason Ramsey was approximately three weeks old), my parents bought me a record player. The first 45 rpm record I ever owned was The Ballad of Davy Crockett. It was the best present I ever got from them. And, wow, ten years later I had an amazing collection. Which I worked to pay for by transporting a young girl who couldn't walk from class to class. $24.00 per month seemed like a lot in the '60's. And, to this day, I cannot get enough music in my house. Jan Howard
My first ones had a "lot of legs" i.e., I liked them early and late. "Bye Bye Love", was my first. Buddy Holly the next three. Dolph
My first memory of buying my first 45 was Hound Dog by Elvis. Did you know...Ed Sullivan had a nasty auto accident which caused him to miss five shows, including the one on September 9, 1956. Actor Charles Laughton filled in as guest host, and it was he who first introduced Elvis on the Ed Sullivan Show. CPass
My first 45 was a beat-up copy of Elvis' "Are You Lonesome Tonight?"/"I Gotta Know" from a kid down the street for 10 cents. I remember thinking the "2:34" (or whatever the duration was) meant the time of day the song was recorded. The first time I tried multi-tracking (with two cassette recorders) was with a rendition of "I Gotta Know". VoteForDan
I was 10 years old in 1956 when I bought Elvis's Hound Dog / Don't Be Cruel .... still got it in good condition ..... Ken ... Rangely1952
How about "April Love" by Pat Boone. It was actually, get this, attached to the side of a laundry detergent box from the grocery store back in 1957 here in the MN. Also in those days, one could "dial up" a phone number which played excerpts from several 45 songs released that week.
Wow, how things have changed.
beefer
Kent,
How about some First 45's from Canada! Early in 1960, I had just discovered Top 40 radio (actually back then, it was Top 50 radio). I listened to it non stop on my parents Stromberg-Carlson HUGE console radio (well it was huge to a little kid like me). The first RECORD I bought that year was Freddy Cannon's "Way Down Yonder In New Orleans". But it wasn't on a 45. It was a 78 rpm because that's all my parents had to play records on The record player was on the top of the Stromberg-Carlson radio. You lifted the lid to play records. I spun that 78 so often that the shellac started to wear out. Later that same year, I got a Seabreeze record player for my birthday that played both 33 and 45 ... but not 78. While we were visiting my Aunt and Uncle who lived in Easton, Pennsylvania ... I bought my first '45' at a tiny record store on the main street ..."Volare" by Bobby Rydell in a red picture sleeve. I still have the 45, but not the 78. It's too bad because Freddy's 78 is probably worth more than Bobby's 45 these days.
Doug Thompson
I have been SO busy up to this time that I have been unable to comment on any of your cool pages you have sent. I want to try to write a first 45s here before I leave town again for New Years, so I have no idea how it will turn out because of time again! Great series. Like many, my first 45s were ones my mom and dad gave me. I have no idea how they got them. Maybe the 39 cent bins?
Apple Blossom Time / Ebb Tide-Platters (Great renditions but flop 45. This one looks and plays like I once taped 5 quarters on the tone arm to go thru skips. I probably did that. I know I taped coins to it sometimes to get 45s to play.)
Kissin' Tree / Gotta Travel On - Billy Grammar (2 sided winner! Actually, we more often laughed at these 2 45s than liked them!)
Rudolph the red Nosed reindeer / Spain - Chipmunks (My dad brought this back from
Oklahoma City for Christmas. He was often stationed there in 60's with FAA for school and brought Chipmunks Christmas LP a year earlier. That got broken.)Two non-parent freebies: Walkin the Chalk - Swingin' Conners (This one the actual group showed up at out new shopping strip in Dodge City and played out of a Bond Bread truck and signed 45s for us kids! My first "concert"!!
That Sunday, That Summer / Mr. Wishing Well - Nat King Cole When we visited KOMA in OKC in 63, DJ Chuck Dann gave us a tour of the station and gave each of us 4 kids an autographed (by him) 45. This was mine. Great song!!
As for first 45s I ever bought:
Heartaches - Marcels
Cradle of Love - Johnny Preston
Everybody - Tommy Roe
It's All Right - Impressions
Blue Velvet - Bobby Vinton
South Street - Orlons
Stewball - Peter, Paul & Mary
Hoochie Coochie Coo - Hank Ballard
Alvin for President - Chipmunks
Volare - Bobby Rydell
Runaway - Del Shannon (Once tried to clear a skip by cleaning grooves with a screw driver. Did not work. Made it much worse! Wonder why?)
I still have all of these originals except Swingin Conners.
WLSClark
The first 45 I ever bought on my own was 1,2,3 Redlight by The 1910 Fruitgum Co. I bought it at the local drugstore at the corner of Cicero and Fullerton where I grew up. I was 7 or 8. I still have it, too. Actually, I still have ALL my 45's. It's so funny some people don't even know what a 45 is.
Happy Holidays
Debe Welch
Kent,
My first 45 was At The Hop byDanny and the Juniors, which I bought at the Lincoln / Belmont / Ashland Woolworths in Chicago. The other record I wanted to buy, but couldn’t afford, was Bad Motorcycle by The Storey Sisters. Needless to say, some 25 years later, I found Bad Motorcycle at Mad City Music in Madison, WI. Keep up the great work. Joe
We had many 45 singles around my house that were mostly bought by my Mom and Dad or Aunts and Uncles. Most of them I remember the tunes but not the names. Well come to think of it I do remember hearing "Purple Eater", "John and Marsha" and "The Witch Doctor" but the rest are now nameless melodies in my head. Others were Christmas songs or songs to teach children math and other scholastic lessons. Sometimes I would go to see my cousins who might be listening to Elvis or the Beatles but none of these were mine.
I saw other rock and roll acts on TV and heard them on the radio but never bothered to buy them or ask my parents for them. My biggest exposure to Rock and Roll music was seeing reruns of the Monkees on Saturday mornings. I recall in the opening how they would always sing "...we may be coming to your town." Now I lived out in the country and the nearest friend from my school lived too far to walk or ride a bike to see. So I was pretty much a loner in the summertime. I always hoped that the Monkees would come to my town and play with me. I was too young to understand that 4 men in their 20's may not want to play all day with a little boy and if they did my house would be mobbed by any kid or teen who found out they were there. But I did have my dreams.
One Saturday I was with my Mom, Grandma, Aunt Joan and my little cousin Rachel in a second hand store. Shopping with females has always been boring to me and that day was no exception. As always I went to the toys or books. I wound up finding some used records and while looking at them I found the 45 single of the Monkees and Daydream Believer. At that time it was one of my favorite songs from their show. I asked my Mom if I could have it. I forget the price now but it wasn't much so she bought it for me. I couldn't believe that I had my favorite Monkees tune and on the flip side one that I didn't remember hearing before. It is of course "Goin' Down." Once we got home Rachel and I had a lot of fun listening to it. We would dance to it and I am not ashamed to say that I did like dancing. Mostly I had fun listening to Micky on "Goin' Down" and trying to keep up as I sang along.
As I got closer to my teen years and almost ready for high school we moved from the country to a town a few miles away. We were in a newly built home with new furniture. One of those pieces of furniture was a console stereo system. You had to lift a heavy wooden top to have access to the turntable. Rachel and her family had also moved next door to us and we would play together. One day I got out the old 45 of Daydream Believer. It had been 3 or 4 years since my Mom bought it for me but we still loved to listen to it. After we were done I took the record off of the turntable and set it on the side next to the top. I carefully lowered the top of the stereo when I suddenly heard a cracking noise. I looked to see that the 45 was just barely hanging over the edge and the top put a small crack in the record. Unless I wanted to start farther in on the song the 45 wouldn't play again. It was a sad day to realize that I accidentally destroyed my favorite song and had to throw it away.
I have bought reissues and now have both songs on other Monkees collections that I got over the years. But the enjoyment I get from hearing them is nothing to the joy I felt when I listened to it as my first 45 record.
Rick Phillips
My wife Gay's first 45 was something from Motown. J5? Smokey Robinson perhaps? Mine was Steppenwolf? - perhaps Magic Carpet Ride? However, the Biggest musical influence on me by far was seeing GENESIS in 1973 when they came around to perform the Selling England By The Pound album. Blown away. Best concert ever!! Even weirder, my buddy was supposed to get me tickets for YES, but they were sold out, so he got me "ticks" for Genesis, who I hadn't even heard of back at that time. Thanks to my buddy Russ for introducing me to some of the coolest music ever. So many great bands - Yes, Gentle Giant, UK, PFM, Tull, Genesis, Buggles, Procol Harum, ELP, Kansas, etc - so little time. Keep on rockin', Kent!
Ron Graffia
Kent, I had to really think about the first 45 I bought. When my family moved up to
Oregon in 1976, my dad got a job for a company who stocked jukeboxes with 45's. They had a whole warehouse full of boxes of 45's- everything you could think of, from way back to current (1976). They told my dad that his son could have them. So, I ended up with 12-14 boxes of 45's, and a shitload of albums. I never bought a 45 until I moved to Oregon, but I'm pretty sure the first one I purchased (actually, my parents for me) was "Magic Man" by Heart, on the Mushroom Records label. Of course, thanks to CDs, the goldmine I thought I had in 45's disappeared in a puff of chronic smoke. I still have them (I took out all the good rock and pop for myself!) I still love to pull them out and play them- my albums, too. I love the pure sound of CDs, but there's nothing like vinyl for music. I remember buying "Still The Same" by Bob Seger, too. I didn't start buying 45's enmasse until I was in high school. That's when MTV finally came to our little burg, and I bought a lot of songs that I saw on videos. I especially fell in love with 12" singles- I hate edited versions of songs! I wish that the major labels were still releasing CD Maxi-Singles. I can still remember the 4 albums I bought as a kid- "The Partridge Family Shopping Bag" (I thought I was SO hot carrying that shopping bag around!), "Jingle Jangle" by the Archies, "Rock Of The Westies" by Elton John, and "Wings At The Speed Of Sound" by Wings.Happee Noo Yeer to all! Ed Pond
I think it was "Lonely Days" by the Bee Gees. I had been into rock 'n roll for 5 or 6 years before I realized "Hey, why don't I buy some of these songs so I can hear the ones I like whenever I like?" Now, I have around 6,000 45s, l.p.s and 78s. Dube
I believe my first 45 rpm record was ANY WAY YOU WANT IT, by the Dave Clark Five. I guess this was around 1965. I bought perhaps 50-75 more over the years, then I pretty much bought 33s, and then a few cassettes, and then CDs.
Now as a reminiscing fossil (approaching age 56) I just save my money and listen to the radio, or to clips on the Internet. I occasionally go to live concerts.
Kit / Arlington, VA
It wasn't until 1968 that our family of eight finally got our first record player. For years, I had not bought any 45's or 33's but I had been collecting all of the "Top 40" lists to keep up with who's who of music. The very first record I bought was "The Tears of a Clown" by Smoky Robinson followed by "Stoney End" by Barbara Streisand. Don't ask me to explain !?!? I made up for it by getting the "Meet The Beatles" and 'A Hard Days Night" LP's in one day. Anyways, record collection growth became a primary reason to live! Rich Davis
I never bought 45s, I figured I could get a whole album for about a dollar and a half more back then, and in those days most of the folks I listened to had several hits on each album. My first album though, happened to be Sly and the Family Stone, Greatest Hits (this was after I got my first "paying" job in 1973) followed the next week by the Rolling Stones' Sticky Fingers. Since then I've only bought about 4 or 5 hundred other vinyl creations, and a bunch of 78s which came with the mint condition Victrola I bought a few years ago. Still haven't bought a "single" to the best of my recollection. : )
Mike (aka Daddyo)
I remember clearly in 1956 when I was just 10 years old riding my bicycle down to the local music store called Norty's on Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles, CA. I purchased my first 45 record on RCA Victor label. It was called Hound Dog/Don't Be Cruel by an up an coming artist by the name of Elvis Presley. I still have the 45 today and it's in pretty good shape too.
Ken ....
Rangely1952
It was the summer of 1956 and Elvis was top of the charts. I met a boy at the school who was a newcomer to Ripley. His name was John Constantine. He came from a well-off middle-class family who lived on the outskirts of the village and we became friends because we were so different from everybody else. Neither of us fit in. While everybody else at school was into cricket and football, we were into clothes and buying 78 rpm records, for which we were scorned and ridiculed. John had a copy of “Hound Dog”, Elvis’s number one, and we played it over and over. There was something about the music that made it totally irresistible to us, plus it was being made by someone not much older than we were, who was like us, but who appeared to be in control of his own destiny, something we could not even imagine. I got my first record player the following year. It was a Dansette, and the first single I ever bought was “When”, a number one hit for The Kalin Twins that I’d heard on the radio. Then I bought my first album, “The ‘Chirping’ Crickets” by Buddy Holly and the Crickets, followed by the soundtrack album of “High Society.”
Eric Clapton
My first 45 was Sam's Place by Buck Owens. Since it was more country and I was only 10, my parents didn't mind so much that I bought it. I was actually able to get it at a local grocery store in Keokuk, IA. I loved the song and played it constantly. My older sister eventually talked me into giving it to her in exchange for her copy of Dedicated to The One I Love by The Mama's & Papa's. I think we both came out winners!! PK
My first 45 rpm was "Summer in the City" by the Lovin' Spoonful. It was September 1966, and I was just 4 years old. My oldest brother already had the first two Lovin' Spoonful albums, so I couldn't wait for him to get home from school that day to show him my first 45. About a month later I purchased my second single, "Wipe Out" by the Surfaris. A year or so later I bought my first LP, a Gary Lewis and the Playboys album on the Sunset label. Little did my parents know what an impression those early 45s would have on me. Now I'm in the process of obtaining a mint/near-mint copy of every record to hit Billboard's Hot 100/Top 100 from 1955 to 1979. (Why 1979? It's because nearly everything recorded after 1979 sucks.) I don't know the exact number of 45s in my collection, but it's something like 10,000, so I still have about 8,000 to go before it's complete.
45vinyljunkie
Jerry LePore
My first 45 was Wipe Out by The Surfaris. Ordered it from Rumore's Record Rack, ran by Joe Rumore, a DJ for WVOK AM in Birmingham, AL. I was about 9 years old (1964) and nearly wore that 45 out on my little portable record player. I think I still have that 45, hidden somewhere. Ordered several more 45's from Mr. Rumore. He was a fun DJ to listen to ... a breed that is almost gone.
Ray Perkins
I can't really remember exactly what my first 45 was because I had 3 older siblings so I listened to their records. I did have a lot of LP's I believe the first one was the Monkees and then the Osmond Brothers. My older sister would sit in her room and listen to The Beatles with her friends but we weren't allowed to come in. My four siblings and myself got a set of fake plastic wigs for Christmas one year so we would put them on and put on a show like we were the Beatles with fake instruments and shake our heads! I can remember in 1968 I was 8 years old and I got my first transistor radio and I would spend the whole summer calling the local radio station and requesting songs like Patches by Clarence Carter about 3 times a day! I miss those days so much! I now have a 10 year old daughter who is in love with the Jonas Brothers just like I was with The Monkees. Edie T
© Copyright Kent Kotal / Forgotten Hits, 1998 - 2023 ... All rights reserved