Thursday June the 12th

ON THIS DAY in 1909  
bandleader/arranger Archie Bleyer was born in Corona/Queens NY.
              
From 1946-53 he was orchestra leader for Arthur Godfrey's many broadcasts on radio & TV. Godfrey fired singer Julius LaRosa in the fall of '53, and days later, terminated Bleyer, who had founded Cadence records, which first signed The Everly Bros., & Andy Williams.  He died from Parkinson's disease March 20 1989 at age 79.

Also in 1909, the oldie-but-goodie "Shine On, Harvest Moon" by Ada Jones and Billy Murray hit #1 on the Hit Parade.  

In 1914, actor William Lundigan was born in Syracuse NY.  He began as an adolescent announcer for a hometown radio station in a building owned by his father. He spent thirteen years as announcer before being discovered by a Universal film executive in 1937.  When bigscreen roles dried up in the mid-50's he returned to announcing as host of TV's dramatic anthology Climax, and Shower of Stars, on which he did commercials for the sponsor Chrysler. He also starred in the 1959 TV series Men into Space.  He died of heart failure Dec 20, 1975 at age 61.

              
In 1935, Ella Fitzgerald recorded her first sides for Brunswick Records. The tunes were Love and Kisses and I'll Chase the Blues Away. She was featured with Chick Webb and his band. Ella was 17 at the time and conducted the Webb band for three years following his death in 1939.

in 1936, the first 50 thousand watt radio station began experimenting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.(KDKA).

In 1942, Paul Whiteman and his orchestra recorded Travelin' Light on Capitol Records. On the track with Whiteman's orchestra was the vocal talent of "Lady Day", Billie Holiday.

In 1943, the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit was "Taking a Chance on Love,'' by the Benny Goodman Orchestra. Steve Allen portrayed the King of Swing in the 1955 film "The Benny Goodman Story.''

              
In 1947, folks gathered around the radio to listen to Sergeant Preston of The Yukon for the first time. The show, featuring the Mountie and his trusty dog, King, continued on the radio until 1955, and on TV from 1955-1958. Sgt. Preston was created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, who earlier brought us The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet.

In 1948, "The William Tell Overture" (the Feetlebaum song) by Spike Jones peaked at #6.

In 1955, the first network radio show to be produced with no script, The University of Chicago Round Table, was heard for the final time after 24 years on NBC radio. The program was the first network radio program to win the coveted George Foster Peabody Award.

In 1955, the TV comedy "Mr Peepers" starring Wally Cox with Tony Randall, aired for the last time on NBC

              
In 1956, "This is Monitor, a weekend program service of NBC Radio," was heard for the first time. Notable hosts such as Bill Cullen, Ed McMahon, Hugh Downs, and Dave Garroway (pictured) recited this line. It was a network cue to NBC radio stations across the nation who carried the long form news, entertainment and variety broadcast from New York City. Stations and listeners who were “on the Monitor beacon� were entertained for six hours or more each Saturday and Sunday night for nearly two decades. NBC's Monitor was one of the last live network radio programs of the era.

In 1957, Jerry Lee Lewis' "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On'' entered the Billboard country and western chart. The next week, the record debuted on the Billboard pop chart as well. After Lewis appeared on Steve Allen's T-V show, "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On'' sold more than six-million copies. It would eventually top both the country and rhythm-and-blues charts, and rise to number three on the Hot 100 pop survey.

Also on this date in 1957, alto saxophonist and big band leader Jimmy Dorsey died in New York of cancer at 53. Shortly after his death, his band scored high on the charts with "So Rare.'' Both Jimmy and his brother Tommy played with such bands as Jean Goldkette, Red Nichols and Paul Whiteman in the '20s and early '30s. The Dorsey Brothers had a joint band before Tommy split in 1935. Most of the band members stayed with Jimmy, and the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra became very popular in the early '40s. With featured vocalists Helen O'Connell and Bob Eberly, the band's hits included "The Breeze and I,'' "Amapola'' and "Green Eyes.''

In 1958, the TV game show "Make Me Laugh," hosted by Robert Q. Lewis, ended its short run on ABC-TV. A syndicated version hosted by Bobby Van was tried in 1979.

              
In 1959, police in New York raided a hospital room where singer Billie Holiday was being treated for a kidney infection and cirrhosis of the liver. They found an envelope of heroin and charged her with possession.

In 1962, radio station CKNL 970 signed on the air in Fort. St. John, B.C. with 1000 watts day, 500 watts at night. NL stands for "Northern Lights."

In 1965, Queen Elizabeth announced the Beatles would be made members of the Order of the British Empire. Some M-B-E holders were so upset they returned their medals. The Beatles were honoured at Buckingham Palace in October, but John Lennon returned his medal in 1969 to protest British support for the Vietnam War.

Also in 1965, "Back in My Arms Again" by the Supremes topped the charts.. but stayed #1 for just a week.

Still in 1965, the Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" was released.

              
Again in 1965, Sonny & Cher made their 1st TV appearance, singing 'I Got You Babe' on Dick Clark's "American Bandstand."

Also in 1965, Tex Ritter made his Grand Ole Opry debut, nearly 30 years after beginning his career as a singing cowboy. Ritter made more than 60 films, and was one of country music's biggest stars in the 1940's. The father of actor John Ritter died at 67 in 1976.

In 1971, the South African Broadcasting Company lifted its five-year ban on Beatles records. The ban was occasioned by John Lennon's remark that the group was more popular than Jesus.

Also in 1971, "Want Ads" by Honey Cone topped the charts for just the one week.

In 1972, John Lennon & Yoko Ono released the politcal "Some Time In New York City," including "Woman is the Nigger of the World" "Attica State" and "Luck of the Irish."

In 1977, the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit was "Dreams,'' by Fleetwood Mac.

In 1978, country singer Johnny Bond died of a heart attack at age 63. Bond was a guitar-playing sidekick in western films starring Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and Hopalong Cassidy. His hit recordings in the '40s and early '50s included "Cimarron," "Oklahoma Waltz" and "Sick, Sober and Sorry." Pop music fans remember Bond best for his 1960 Top-30 hit "Hot Rod Lincoln."

In 1979, "The Kids Are Alright'' film and album were released by the Who. The movie was a documentary of the group's early years.

              
In 1980, actor Milburn Stone, forever identified with his long-running role as Doc on TV's Gunsmoke, died at age 75.

In 1987, Fox Broadcasting cancelled Frank Zappa's one-night shot as guest host of ''The Late Night Show.'' Zappa said he wanted to interview radio commentator Daniel Schorr and Gerard Thomas Straub, who wrote a book about being fired as producer of ''The 700 Club'' religious television show. Fox said Zappa's proposed guests would have the audience ''nodding out.''

In 1988, a dozen of Canada's top songwriters were honoured in Vancouver for writing songs that had been played on Canadian radio at least 100-thousand times since 1965. Gene MacLellan won three awards from the Performing Rights Organization of Canada -- for Anne Murray's hit, "Snowbird,'' "Put Your Hand in the Hand'' and "The Call.'' Burton Cummings also won three awards -- for "Stand Tall,'' "Break It to Them Gently'' and "These Eyes.''

Also in 1988, the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit was "Together Forever,'' by Rick Astley.

In 1989, Graceland opened the Elvis Presley Autoland Museum, which contains over 20 cars owned by Presley.
              

Also in 1989, Memphis radio station WHBQ, the first to air an Elvis record, announced it was banning all Presley music. As program director Ron Jordan put it, "we overdo the Elvis bit here." Jordan rescinded the order two days later after hundreds of Elvis fans called to protest. Presley's first single, "That's All Right," made its debut on WHBQ in 1954.

Still in 1989, Vivian Carter, the co-founder of Chicago's Vee-Jay Records died of complications from diabetes. She was 69. Vee-Jay was the largest black-owned label of the '50s, with such artists as the Spaniels, the Dells and Jimmy Reed. Vee-Jay went bankrupt in 1966.

Again in 1989, the TV comedy, "Doctor Doctor" starring Matt Frewer, debuted on CBS-TV.

In 1991, F-B-I agents smashed a counterfeiting ring that peddled thousands of phoney tickets for Grateful Dead shows across the U-S. Agents who raided a New York printing plant seized two-thousand fake tickets and made two arrests. The phoney ducats were sold to "Deadheads" for up to 50 dollars each.

              
In 1992, k-d lang cancelled a show in Owen Sound, Ontario after local beef farmers threatened to block the parking lot with farm vehicles and tractor-trailer rigs. lang, a vegetarian, had upset the cattlemen by appearing in a "Meat Stinks" ad campaign.

In 1994, the Rolling Stones arrived in Toronto to begin rehearsals for their "Voodoo Lounge" world tour. The sessions were held in an empty hangar at Pearson Airport. Before the tour's official start August 1st in Washington D-C, the band staged a surprise gig at a Toronto club.

Also in 1994, bandleader Cab Calloway suffered a stroke at his Westchester, N.Y., home. The 86-year-old was later moved to a nursing home and died Nov. 18.

In 1995, the No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit was "I Swear," by All-4-One.

              
In 1999, "If You Had My Love" by Jennifer Lopez topped the charts and stayed there for 5 weeks.

In 2000, r & b singer Bobby Brown was sentenced to 75 days in a Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., jail for probation violation stemming from a 1998 drunken driving sentence.

Also in 2000, the third George Strait Country Music Festival wrapped with a sold-out show at Houston's Enron Field, after grossing about $22 million from only 10 stadium dates.

In 2001, a three-mile stretch of Highway 92 in Hiram, Georgia, was renamed "Travis Tritt Highway."

              
In 2003, Oscar-winning (To Kill a Mockingbird [1962]) actor Gregory Peck died in Los Angeles at 87 years of age. His many (over 50) films included Moby Dick, The Keys of the Kingdom, The Yearling, Gentleman’s Agreement, and Twelve O’Clock High.  On television he played Abraham Lincoln in the miniseries The Blue & The Gray, and made three TV movies.

In 2007, Don Herbert, TV’s Mr. Wizard, died at home at age 90.  Watch Mr. Wizard (1951-1965) introduced generations of young viewers to the joys of science. Herbert, using household items in his TV lab, with assistants who were ordinary boys and girls, won a Peabody Award in 1953.


Today's Birthdays:

Singer Vic Damone is 80.

Actor Bernie Hamilton (Starsky & Hutch, Tarzan) is 80.

Actor-singer Jim Nabors (Gomer Pyle, Andy Griffith Show, Carol Burnett Show) is 78.

Jazz musician Chick Corea is 67.

Sports announcer Marv Albert is 67.

Singer Roy Harper is 67..

Pop singer Len Barry is 66.

Singer Reg Presley of The Troggs is 65.

Drummer Bun E. Carlos of Cheap Trick is 57.

Actor Alan Dysert (All My Children) is 57.

Country singer-guitarist Junior Brown is 56.

Singer-songwriter Rocky Burnette is 55.

Actor Timothy Busfield (thirtysomething, West Wing, Studio 60) is 51.

Singer Meredith Brooks is 50.

Rock musician John Linnell (They Might Be Giants) is 49.

North Bay-born actor/comedian Scott Thompson (Kids in the Hall, Larry Sanders Show, Providence) is 49.

Actress Jenilee Harrison (Dallas, Three's Company) is 49.

Rapper Grandmaster Dee of Whodini is 46.

Actress Paula Marshall (Veronica Mars, Out of Practice, Cursed) is 44.

Blues guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd is 31.

Actor DJ Qualls (Mama Flora's Family) is 30.

Singer Robyn is 29.


Chart Toppers

June 12

1944
Long Ago and Far Away - Helen Forrest & Dick Haymes
I’ll Get By - The Harry James Orchestra (vocal: Dick Haymes)
I’ll Be Seing You - Bing Crosby
Straighten Up and Fly Right - King Cole Trio

1953
Song from Moulin Rouge - The Percy Faith Orchestra
April in Portugal - The Les Baxter Orchestra
Pretend - Nat King Cole
Take These Chains from My Heart - Hank Williams

1962
I Can’t Stop Loving You - Ray Charles
Lovers Who Wander - Dion
(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance - Gene Pitney
She Thinks I Still Care - George Jones

1971
Want Ads - The Honey Cone
Rainy Days and Mondays - Carpenters
It’s Too Late/I Feel the Earth Move - Carole King
You’re My Man - Lynn Anderson

1980
Funkytown - Lipps, Inc.
Coming Up - Paul McCartney & Wings
Biggest Part of Me - Ambrosia
My Heart - Ronnie Milsap

1989
Wind Beneath My Wings - Bette Midler
I’ll Be Loving You (Forever) - New Kids on the Block
Every Little Step - Bobby Brown
A Better Man - Clint Black

1998
My All - Mariah Carey
Too Close - Next
I Get Lonely - Janet Jackson
I Just Want to Dance With You - George Strait

2007
Summer Love - Justin Timberlake
Girlfriend - Avril Lavigne
Makes Me Wonder - Maroon 5
Good Directions - Billy Currington