55 years ago today, Detroit was digging out of an unexpected 4 inches of snow. Doesn’t seem like much for those of us who have endured northern winters these past few years, but the Motor City was blanketed just before the morning rush and the road crews couldn’t keep up.…
In the glory days of Top 40 Radio, New York’s WABC was the center of the universe. The ABC Owned and Operated 50,000 watt flame thrower was the dominant brand in the market. It attracted the best talent and was the top of the broadcasting ziggurat. While many famous names…
The holy grail for every artist is to create a musical “hook” that bores into the audience’s mind like an ear worm. Think about Paul Anka’s “Diana”, the opening bars of “Day Tripper” or the grating chorus of Rick Dee’s novelty record, “Disco Duck”. They stick with you like the…
Judy Collins once wrote that where music is concerned, there are no new ideas, just people who make them more compelling than the original. Last Thursday’s “Much More Music” section shared three examples of covers, two of which out performed the first version. In every endeavor, there are those who…
We’re initiating a new feature this week: Aircheck Wednesday, where we spotlight Top 40 Radio between 1963 and 1980. Part of a DJ’s resume back in the day was a five minute slice of his or her work on the air, with the music and commercials truncated so you could…
Up Front: The Value Proposition – A former coach at my alma mater shared some wisdom I’ve been thinking about lately. “You’re only valuable as long as you are adding value.” In athletics the bottom line is winning. In whatever game we play, the customer holds the scorecard. They come with the…
Our dryer has an annoying buzzer that frightens anyone who isn’t used to its piercing report. One of the first things I did when we moved in was to disconnect it. But there was a downside. The sound was a not so gentle reminder that the load was dry. Using…
Earl “Madman” Muntz made the front page of the May 27th, 1967 edition of Billboard Magazine, which reported the grand opening of his Detroit tape cartridge retail store at 15268 Gratiot Avenue. The former Kaiser-Frazer used car salesman was a marketing visionary, creating innovative products and selling them with crazy costumes and…
Remembering the original VW Beetle. Today in 1936 the VW Beetle was commissioned in Germany. Known as the “People’s Car” in the 1930s, the unique body style was designed by Ferdinand Porsche. The car had a rear engine, unusual for the time. Only small numbers were made before WWII halted…
There are few working DJs remaining who really know their stuff. Bob Berry is one of them. We’ve had many conversations about the minutiae of what makes a hit record. Mix Magazine’s Classic Tracks articles give tantalizing studio backstories that are great reads. Bob shared Greg Milner’s NYT opinion piece:…