Category: Radio

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History Music Radio

The Major’s Friday Night Disco Party

I grew up on TOP 40 music in the Greater Washington D.C. area during the entire wild and crazy decade that was the 1970s and into the early portion of the 1980s. I listened to such great radio stations as WWDC-AM (1260), WASH-FM (97.1), WPGC (95.5) , WRQX (107.3), and WAVA (105.1).

Years and years of Sunday mornings were spent sitting right next to my transistor radio – listening intently to every single word that Casey Kasem uttered and every single lyric of every single song that he led in to and out of on the original “American Top 40” radio show.

Disco music took over and totally dominated the radio airwaves for a good solid three years starting in 1976, and this preteen kid at the time was caught right in the middle of that revolution. It totally defined our culture of the time.

31 years ago this weekend in July of 1978 this song was making its rapid ascent up Casey Kasem’s “American Top 40” countdown. It would eventually reach # 8 and become Barry Manilow’s 5TH gold pop smash in less than 4 years. This – my groovy middle-aged friends – is the “Copacabana” – and it’s the highlight of my ‘Friday Night Disco Party’ tonight !

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Blogging Career Commerce God Health Life Music Radio Shopping Television

Tuesday Night Grab Bag O’ Thoughts

It’s the continuing saga that is my weekly ‘Grab Bag O’ Thoughts’:

1.  Today was an unusually peaceful and quiet day at work. It nearly got boring for me at times. I could have taken a short nap. No not really, but I was actually hoping for some excitement or controversy during the course of the work day today. I got just a little bit of that, but I could have handled even more.

2.  After work this afternoon I ventured over to Homestead‘s fresh new Bed Bath & Beyond for the first time ever. It’s one of my favourite stores in the entire world. Once upon a time no weekend visit to The Shops At Sunset Place in South Miami was complete without a well-orchestrated stop at the Bed Bath & Beyond at Dadeland Station in Downtown Kendall. I could have spent a hundred or so dollars at that joint this afternoon, but I spent a tiny fraction of that instead on a few key items. I may have to return back to the scene of the crime in a few days to take another round-robin tour. YOU KNOW IT !

3.  My nearly year-long search for a new Family Practice Doctor here in the local Homestead area is winding down, and I think that I’ve finally got one selected. My next step is to actually schedule a complete physical with the M.D. (Medical Dude). I hope to do that before the close of this week. My new Doctor will tell me if Lipitor is right for me. I’ve been without it for nearly a year now, and I’m still alive !

4.  I’ve recently discovered JCTV on my AT&T U-verse. It’s just like MTV from about 15 to 20 years ago with lots of music videos shown through the day and into the night and a few shows programmed around the hour-long video blocks. The ‘JC’ in JCTV stands for Jesus Christ, and it’s all about Him. They too (like The Call on the radio) gear all of their content and programming towards the teen and young adult crowd as if there just aren’t any older adults that are closer to my age that need to be rescued and saved by God and ministered to. I knew my blog had a real purpose. This is the purpose driven blog.

5.  This blog will record its remarkable 200,000TH hit (since its inception in 2007) this Thursday night. Thank You everyone for continuing to support this blog by checking it out, reading it, commenting on it, discussing it, and telling all of your friends about it. I do it all for you. It’s a sincere pleasure to be able to share my new Life with each and every one of you. I thank you for sharing your Life with me.

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Annoyances History Home Internet Music Radio Television

Saturday Night Retro

1999 was a long time ago. It was a decade ago. It was an eternity ago – especially for me in light of my life-changing events of the past 36 months alone.

Back in 1999 on the home technology front I had standard cable television (with Adelphia), standard telephone service (with BellSouth), and standard dial-up Internet service (with Shadow). None of those companies exist today. Nowadays AT&T U-verse delivers all of the modern technology to me.

I had to deal with an untimely and unexpected 15½-hour total outage of my television, telephone, and Internet service from early last night until late this morning. AT&T came out this morning and fixed the problem (outside), and now I’m back in 2009 with all systems a go-go. During the outage my only technological link to the outside world was (believe it or not) my antique cell phone with T-Mobile service. It actually came in quite handy, and it reminded me why I actually have a cell phone in the first place – for emergency situations and pretty much nothing else.

Exactly 10 years ago this weekend the cool pop group known as LFO (Lyte Funky Ones) debuted on the MASSIVESMASH.COM Weekly Top 40 at # 30. They went on to hit # 1 for 2 weeks, spend 19 weeks on the chart, and become the # 17 hit of the entire year. Nationally it was a U.S. Top 3 platinum smash at retail and pop radio. Rich, Devin, and Brad have recently reunited as LFO again recording and touring the nation, but here’s how they rolled back during the Summer of 1999. It’s all about them “Summergirls”:

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History Music People Radio

The Major’s Friday Night Disco Party

We sure knew how to party back in 1976 – the year of our U.S. Bicentennial. We turned 200 on July 04TH of that year, but we didn’t look a day over 175 !

Disco music was still growing up during the Summer of 1976, and 26-year-old Memphis Tennessee Radio Deejay Rick Dees (one of my personal all-time ‘American Idols’) decided that the time was right to gather his ‘Cast Of Idiots’ together in a recording studio and lay down that track all about that ‘Disco Duck’. It went on to become a U.S. # 1 platinum retail and pop radio smash later that year, and the whole nation was quacking up a storm out on the dance floors.

So you think you can dance the duck ?  Give it a shot !