Category: Radio

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History Music People Radio Shopping Television

The Major’s Friday Night Disco Party

Disco Ball

One of the hottest hits on the radio, in the record stores, and out in the clubs during the last quarter of 1986 while I was living, working, and playing in the United Kingdom was “Don’t Leave Me This Way” by The Communards (Jimmy Somerville and Richard Coles). It became the # 1 best-selling single of the entire year all across the British Isles. It was a spirited HI-NRG remake of Thelma Houston‘s 1977 # 1 Disco smash – which in turn was a remake of a 1975 Disco smash from Harold Melvin And The Blue Notes featuring the late great Teddy Pendergrass on lead vocals. (Teddy died 9 days ago. He was 59.)

Here’s Thelma Houston’s version as performed on “The Midnight Special”:

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God History Music People Radio

My Fantastic Journey: It’s In The Lyrics

One of the greatest songs ever made during the mid-1990s was the debut smash from Collective Soul called “Shine”. It was their first hit – and their highest-charting hit of their entire (still active) career.

Back when “Shine” shone Collective Soul was frequently considered to be ‘a Christian band’, but they denied any such category. Not all of the band mates considered themselves to be Christians. Despite that the lyrics of “Shine” played out like a passionate plea to God:

Give me a word
Give me a sign
Show me where to look
Tell me what will I find

Lay me on the ground
Fly me in the sky
Show me where to look
Tell me what will I find

Oh, heaven let your light shine down

Love is in the water
Love is in the air
Show me where to go
Tell me will love be there

Teach me how to speak
Teach me how to share
Teach me where to go
Tell me will love be there

Oh, heaven let your light shine down

It’s in the lyrics, and it’s in the 2009 remake by a foursome that proudly exclaim to be a Christian Rock band. Here’s Pillar, and here’s how they “Shine”:

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History Music People Radio Television

The Major’s Friday Night Disco Party

Once upon a time in a decade far far away there lived this dude by the name of Shaun Cassidy. In 1977 when he was a mere 18-years-old he was one of the top music and television stars in the U.S.A. He was one-third of “The Hardy Boys / Nancy Drew Mysteries” on ABC-TV on Sunday nights at 7 PM. He was on the cover of virtually every teen mag at the stores. And he was a teen-pop megastar sensation. He scored 3 TOP 10 gold-certified smash hits in a row that each spent 4 to 6 months in heavy rotation on the radio. This was the 3RD of those 3 hits that were all of the rage on Friday nights at roller discos everywhere. It’s “Hey Deanie” – as performed on “The Mike Douglas Show”.

Hey Suzanne Somers – How ’bout introducing the young cat for us ?

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Career Driving History Home Life Music Radio Travel

Saturday Night Retro

Where were you in ’94 ?  16 years ago at the start of a fresh new year we all knew as 1994 I was living and partying in the heart of Melbourne Florida from Friday nights to Sunday afternoons – and living and working on the other side of the state in Tampa Florida from Sunday nights to Friday afternoons. It was about a 2½ to 3-hour drive in each direction, but it was my cool life at the time. I did it for about 7 months from August of 1993 through March of 1994. That was after Hurricane Andrew had destroyed Homestead Air Force Base and it was being partially rebuilt.

I had gotten out of the USAF (Active Duty), and rejoined on the Active Reserves side over at MacDill Air Force Base. They were the first to offer me a job back then while I was unemployed and looking for a job over in the Melbourne area. I served over there as an aircraft maintenance statistician – a fun job during a fun time of my fun life. A couple of months later in March of 1994 my Air Force Wing and myself moved back down to Homestead Air Reserve Base – where I remain today as a number cruncher.

Here’s a quirky song that built its momentum ever so slowly – one radio station at a time – over the course of an entire year. From college radio to modern rock radio to mainstream TOP 40 radio it eventually became a U.S. TOP 10 gold pop smash as well as a huge hit all around the world. As far as I’m concerned it’s one of the greatest songs of the entire crazy decade that was the 1990s.

From the first few months of 1994 here’s Beck with “Loser” !