Category: 1970s

Three Dog Night

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date April 3, 2025

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. Over the past 39 years I’ve attended over 150 concerts and LIVE events at various venues. It all started in England in 1986 when I attended 17 LIVE music concerts in the span of about 16 months. The pace slowed down quite a bit once I returned home stateside, and the last 100 concerts and events have occurred since 2004.

Last Friday night was a bucket list act. I’ve always wanted to see Three Dog Night LIVE in concert, and so I finally did. They were my first favorite band on the radio when I was a little kid in Prince Georges County Maryland during the early-1970s. I liked all of their songs – especially “Mama Told Me Not To Come”, “Joy To The World”, “An Old Fashioned Love Song”, “Black And White”, and “Shambala”. (I still love those songs today. They are all on my Spotify.)

The concert was awesome. They performed 18 songs – 17 of their 21 consecutive Billboard Top 40 hits from 1969 to 1975 – as well as a newer song for an upcoming new album. Danny Hutton (the only original) and David Morgan also told short stories in-between many of the songs. Their final song had nearly the entire arena singing in unison (and some dancing too) – “Joy To The World” – the # 1 song in America and Canada for the entire year of 1971.

Interesting story on David Morgan. I thought he joined the band in 1981 when they reformed after disbanding 5 years earlier, but upon further research after the concert – I learned that he’s only been a member since 2015. He replaced original founding member Cory Wells after he passed away. That’s how good David Morgan is. I thought he was on the band for the past 44 years, but he’s only been with them for 9. He sang lead on many of the songs, and he was impressive – and energetic. I think he’s been a fan of the band for as long as me. He’s also been a musician for the past 65 years – touring and recording with such greats as Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, Dolly Parton, and Rick Nelson. If you watched “Hardcastle & McCormick” on ABC-TV back in the mid-1980s – then you heard David Morgan every week. He sang the theme song for the show – “Drive”.

This was a rare sold-out concert at the Alan Jay Wildstein Center For The Performing Arts at South Florida State College in Avon Park Florida, so that’s 1,460 seats sold. If I had to guess – then I’d say that about 90% of the attendance was between the ages of 65 and 75. I was part of the 10% under 65 or over 75. So – most of the attendees were born from 1950 to 1960, so they were in their teens and 20s when Three Dog Night were one of the hottest bands in America. (I of course was a bit younger – age 2 to 8.)

Fun Facts: Three Dog Night hosted the cocktail party on the November 29TH 1971 episode of “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In”, as they sang “Joy To The World” (with pauses for jokes). They also hosted the inaugural edition of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve on December 31ST 1972.

I can only imagine what a Three Dog Night concert was like during the early-1970s, and I’m guessing that some of my fellow attendees may have experienced such a wild night of music (and more) back then. Now I can say that I’ve also been to a Three Dog Night concert – 2025-style.

It’s on to Fort Myers and Estero Florida for another music concert – next – #TravelThursday. Let’s keep traveling together.

Tags Avon Park, Florida, Three Dog Night

1970s Blogging Driving Geography Home Travel

From Bowie To Lanham

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date January 16, 2025

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. This is a change-of-pace edition. I’m reminiscing about what me and parents were doing exactly 50 years ago – back in January of 1975. I was in the 2ND grade at the time in Catholic School in Seabrook Maryland (adjacent to Lanham). My dad worked in downtown Washington D.C. at a life insurance company at 2020 M Street NW. (I can’t believe that I still remember that.)

Early in 1972 we moved from Greenbelt Maryland (adjacent to Lanham) to Bowie. Our brand-new house in Bowie was located about 15 miles away from our apartment in Greenbelt. After 3 years in Bowie – my dad got tired of the long rush-hour drives to and from downtown Washington via John Hanson Highway (U.S. 50). I remember some of those rush-hour traffic back-ups. My dad would take me with him to his office sometimes.

My dad had enough of it. By the end of 1974 he realized that perhaps he made a mistake by moving us out to Bowie. He looked at a brand-new neighborhood being built in Lanham directly behind the apartment complex that we lived in for 3 years before 1972. It even had an elementary school right in the middle of it. He and my mom found the perfect house under construction on the street behind that school. I think it cost $59,900 at the time. He bought it. We moved in 50 years ago next month. I attended 3RD, 4TH, 5TH, and 6TH grades at that school. I think it was the only time that I actually enjoyed going to school. I have lots of vivid memories of my friends, my teachers, and my classrooms from that era.

My dad’s parents – my grandparents – lived just a mile up the road from both our apartment before 1972, and our house starting in 1975. By the time I was 12 and 13 – I was riding my bike on my own to and from my grandparents’ house – just to visit them.

Next #TravelThursday – I’ll write about a U.S. state that I’ve never been to before. Let’s keep traveling together.

Tags Bowie, Greenbelt, Lanham, Maryland, Seabrook

1970s Blogging Movies Music Radio

My Top 5 Hits RETRO – 1978

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date March 31, 2023

Hello again retro music fans. Every Friday I post the Top 5 of one of my classic hit music charts based on personal preference and influenced by radio airplay from either 15, 20, 25, or 35 years ago this weekend (rotating each week).

It’s the 5TH Friday of the month, so it’s a special, as I go back 45 years ago. Here it is – for the week ending Sunday April 02ND 1978:

“Night Fever” – Bee Gees
“Stayin’ Alive” – Bee Gees
“Lay Down Sally” – Eric Clapton
“Can’t Smile Without You” – Barry Manilow
“Emotion” – Samantha Sang

America was dancin’ the night away 45 years ago when I was not quite 11 years old as a 5TH grader in Lanham Maryland. My chart wasn’t born yet, but my hobby of following the Billboard Hot 100 at the New Carrollton Public Library and then counting down the Top 40 with Casey Kasem every Sunday was in full swing. (The Top 5 above is from that Hot 100.)

“Saturday Night Fever” was a runaway smash at the box office, and its Soundtrack album was MASSIVE – the biggest in history at the time. Samantha Sang’s “Emotion” is often mistaken as a “Saturday Night Fever” track, but it was not in the movie. It’s also mistaken as featuring Bee Gees in the background, but it’s just Barry Gibb. He wrote the song with his brother Robin.

Next #RetroFriday I’ll go back 15 years ago to the start of April 2008. It’s when #FF5 were #FD.

It’s halftime my friends. I’ll be back on Sunday and Monday with 2 more blog posts for this weekend. Enjoy your Saturday. Thanks for going retro with me !

Tags 1978, Bee Gees, Disco, Music, Radio

1970s Blogging Food Geography Home Travel

Maryland Fried Chicken

Post author By Chris M. Day
Post date March 30, 2023

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. As I continue to settle into my new region of Florida here in Highlands County – I’ll keep on finding interesting places to see – and eat. After all – eating is an integral part of any travel experience. Eating is one of my favorite hobbies !

If you know me personally, or if you’ve been reading my blog for awhile – then you may know that I’m originally from Maryland – Prince Georges County Maryland to be specific. (It borders Washington D.C.) For 11+ years (1969-1980) as a kid I lived in Greenbelt, Bowie, and Lanham. I had some great childhood memories back then, and some not-so-great ones as well. My grandparents, and nearly all of my uncles, aunts, and cousins lived within a few miles of each other back then.

During my entire time as a kid growing up in Maryland (and also adjacent Fairfax County Virginia) I’d never heard of Maryland Fried Chicken – either the restaurant or the mere concept. Chesapeake Bay Crabs – definitely. Scrapple – of course. Fried Chicken – negative. Fried Chicken comes from Kentucky. Everyone knows that.

Looks like there are 14 locations of Maryland Friend Chicken in Florida, Georgia, and 1 in South Carolina. Most of them (9) are concentrated across Central Florida – including 2 within a few miles of my new home. They don’t have a presence on social media; although, a few of the local locations have their own web sites. There’s actually a WordPress-created web page at marylandfriedchicken.net that reveals its 60+ year history and origins in the Orlando Florida area.

My local Sebring location has their own web site at marylandfriedchickenofsebring.com.

I went to my local neighborhood Maryland Fried Chicken for Lunch on St. Patrick’s Day. I was greeted by two friendly workers. One took my order, and I struck up a conversation with both of them. I told them that it was my very first visit there. They asked me where I was from. I told them “Maryland !”. I added that I’d never heard of Maryland Fried Chicken, and that I’m looking forward to enjoying it.

I ordered the 2-piece chicken dinner (all breast). That comes with 2 sides. I got it with fries and homemade macaroni salad. I took it home and I enjoyed it. It was very good. The fried chicken has a distinctive flavor to it that kind of reminds me of my childhood, and that’s really strange because the only fried chicken that we ate when I was a kid came from #KFC. My elementary school cafeteria may have served fried chicken every so often, so maybe it brought back memories of that taste. It’s hard to explain its unique flavor – perhaps very juicy ?