Monday, June 02, 2008

 

Cruisin' 1960 Dick Biondi WKBW, Buffalo

This is number five in my/the small serie of Cruising records. You can get more info about this serie at the great Cruisin' blog. As was the last one (2008_april) this one is also on request (by Chi-Town) : Cruisin' 1960 Dick Biondi WKBW, Buffalo.

It's 1960 and the CRUISIN' series goes to WKBW in Buffalo, New York, where Dick Biondi exercised one of the most powerful sets of lungs in pop radio. Good old screaming Dick Biondi - "the wild Eye-tralian, the supersonic spaghetti slurper" (his own description), a man who could read at random from the real estate classifieds and make it sound like headlines for Armageddon. He went to Memphis and picked leaves from Elvis Presley's lawn, awarding them to his listeners. On holidays the "Big Noise from Buffalo" devoted three hour to telephone greetings from the top recording stars. Daily he joked with his radio pals and hollered at his listeners. He read commercials in a high-pitched shriek, dedicated songs to everybody's certain someone in a breathless, lurching wail that traveled seventeen Eastern states. (Mail came from as far away as Havana and Greenland.) And he ate peanut butter and sauerkraut pizzas on the air and told knock-knock jokes so corny they made you suffer. Almost half of the Buffalo audience was his. It was listen to Biondi, or else.

Historically the scene was mixed (as usual). The French joined the nuclear power club by exploding an A-bomb in the Sahara. Francis Gary Powers and his U-2 reconnaissance plane went down in the Soviet Union (see my article last month 2007_may). (President Eisenhower got caught in a lie when he said he didn't know anything about the U-2s). Adolf Eichmann was captured in Argentina. Cuba began confisticating American-owned factories on the island. After spending twelve years on Death Row, Caryl Chessman was executed. The first sit-in was held in a Woolworth's in North Carolina. And John Kennedy was elected President.
I remember all these events so well.


Cruisin' 1960 Dick Biondi WKBW, Buffalo.
Dick Biondi resume.
Dick Biondi, known as the "Wild I-tralian," "Big Mouth," and "The Screamer," is back on the air at WZZN-FM, 94.7, Chicago’s True Oldies Channel, weeknights from 9p to Midnight.
This "Wild Italian" began his radio career in New York state and made his way to Chicago in 1960. He joined the staff of WLS and was heard in over 38 states and in Canada during his 9PM - 12 Midnight shift. In the early 1960's, thanks to the giant signal of WLS covering 40 of the original 48 states, Dick Biondi was the nation's #1 disc jockey, with a pulse rating averaging a 60 share of the national audience. He was an original, with his own style that few even tried to copy. During this time, Biondi wrote and recorded the novelty "On Top Of A Pizza" song which sold over 11,000 copies!
Dick left WLS in 1963 and traveled to Southern California, where he became involved in the music business, introducing The Beatles at Hollywood Bowl and the Rolling Stones at Long Beach Arena. Biondi eventually took his show on the road with the Dick Biondi Road Show, introducing various artists and bands to local high schools in Southern California, such as Bobby Sherman, The Knickerbockers and many more!
Dick came back to the Midwest in August 1984 and introduced a new Oldies station to Chicagoans - Magic 104, MAGIC 104.3 WJMK. Biondi says, “Chicago is my favorite city because the most loyal people in the world live here.” Now Biondi is back on the air where he belongs at 94.7 FM, Chicago’s True Oldies Channel!
Dick is a member of both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and the Radio Hall of Fame.


SIDE ONE starts with Dick Biondi Theme
The Olympics - Big Boy Pete _St Mary's Record Hop Plug _WKBW Big Weather
Baby, You Got What It Takes - Brook Benton & Dinah Washington _Wardynski Sausage Commercial
What In The World's Come Over You - Jack Scott
Biondi's Pick of the Week : Rosie & The Originals - Angel Baby
_Budweiser® commercial _WKBW station ID

SIDE TWO continues with Alley Oop - The Hollywood Argyles _Gillette Commercial & Jingle
Stay - Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs _Studebaker Commercial _Genessee Beer Commercial
Running Bear - Johnny Preston _Elvis Presley Bit
The Big Hurt - Toni Fisher _L & M Commercial
Because They're Young - Duane Eddy _Norwich High Record Hop "Thank You"
Fannie Mae - Buster Brown _Closing theme


I had/have again a problem. The original album recording had too much 'hick-ups' so I used the CD version (you can hear strange cuts). Compared to the original LP (at least in my country) 4 other songs were left out/replaced.
You Talk Too Much - Joe Jones, Tears On My Pillow - Little Anthony & The Imperials, Finger Poppin' Time - Hank Ballard & The Midnighters, See You In September - The Tempos.
I suppose to most of you non-info ????

As usual, I wouldn't be surprised if you find download info in the comment....

Comments:
Note : full screen window gives you the best view of the comments !

'Clickable' links are for you downloaders soooo convienent but the disadvantage is they don't seem to 'last' long.
The Blogger gets a lot of comments 'please re-up'...... Other, more appropriate/interesting comments, they sadly don't get.... :(
So you will have to do a little work to get the link.
This seems, in my opinion, the best deal between 'protecting' my links and the least effort for you.


Link :
http://r#pidsh#re.com/files/119147932/C60DB_WKBW_B.rar
Of course you understand to replace in r#pidsh#re twice the # in an a otherwise you don't have a 'valid' link !!
Paste this valid link in your browser-url and hit RETURN. You can also copy/paste the link into your 'downloadmanager'.

Pass to extract the file : 080531
The file is a small 35MB, 'cause the songs are only in low bitrate 128kbits.
Please donnut give a nasty comment about that, neither about the sleeve.

>>
The next depends, amongst other things, on your security options in your browser and by so the ability to copy/paste the link.

When you see this in Google or Yahoo cache or by my Blog's search function read first the RED instructions at the top left of my Blog !
Direct link (after that go to the plain comment of this 2008_may article !) : JeansMusicBlog
Also possible : just click the 'post a comment' section here and you are able to copy/paste !
>>
 
Another awesome post, Jean! I can't thank you enough. Dick Biondi has become a fixture in Chicago, and still has a great following today.

Chi-Town in The Windy City
 
Dick mentions playing a hop at my high school in Maine on the record -mentions Norman Bowie (our student council president)

He put on a great show
 
Well, so this album gives a very special memory to ya !
 
I had my first transistor radio and for some reason outside it picked up WKBW and I loved his show and listened to it many nights. I only ever saw him once on TV and don't remember when that was. Thanks kiddo for the great memories. I think I know his theme song and I'm curious if I'm right. Take care.
 
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