Her very own father was on stage, standing closeto four of the most famous musicians in the world. I tasted my first grits there my very first grit (laughs). Any of the Yes shows in Birmingham! I can sing as good or better now than I did then, said Grier. At this point, Mick Jagger and his pals were poised to release"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," their first international smash. Yet there was also a gentler side of the city that is rarely revealed within the pages of history texts. What made those shows big was that Dan and Cyril would always pick the artists who were hot at the time, remembered Bill J. Moody, a former WBAM announcer and later host of Hubcap Classics. If a group had a hit record, we would have them. WBAM Big Bam Shows Remembered 3,983 views Aug 25, 2013 A real commercial from the 60's with announcer Bill J Moody .Exciting times as a teen.growing up in Montgomery. If possible, the Brennans liked to present the same lineup of artists in all three cities over a single weekend, offering three shows in Birmingham for the Shower of Stars, one in Montgomery. He kicked it off with (what else?) He must have played an hour and 20 minutes or more. ); Lynyrd Skynyrd and Black Oak Arkansas, Rickwood Field (1975); Pink Floyd, Legion Field (1994); Peter Frampton and Robin Trower, Oak Mountain (1994); Rolling Stones, Legion Field (1994); Bruce Springsteen, BJCC, 2002; and, James Brown, Jubilee CityFest Montgomery (2003). Alicia McLeod - Vocals. To be honest, Brennan doesn't precisely recall what he said to the audience that evening, just before the mop-topped John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr took the stage. ", From Cobb: "Buckingham Nicks in Morgan Auditorium Tuscaloosa Alabama Fall 1973.". I've got to change clothes and everything.' The station is owned by Cumulus Media and the broadcast license is held by Cumulus Licensing LLC. ", "Leo Kottke, Foster Auditorium, UA campus, about 1974," said 57939names. The Brennan kids were popular during the concert years, as you might expect, and Bartoletti says she, her four siblings and her cousins were fixtures at the WVOK shows, seated in the front row. "One of my favorites was RUSH 1981 Mobile Municipal Auditorium," said tgfmiss. His current band, The Soul Crackas, does many of the same soul hits the Rockin Gibraltar performed. Jerry Lee Lewis. "It was a promotional thing for us. Keith Richards was almost electrocuted when his guitar grounded on a mic. Louise Brennan, Cyril's wife, at the Beatles' press conference in Jacksonville. And the Shower of Stars concerts still linger in localmemory. Herman's Hermits in the studio, Barry Whitwam on drums. Kenny Rogers and the First Edition. It was a clear channel station that covered over 90 counties in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, and could be heard everywhere. The Beach Boys. The bands that performed were: The Beach Boys / lou christie / Ian Whitcomb / The Happenings / the hollies / peter and gordon. He and his wife live north of Prattville in a 1930s shack, have three grown children and are expecting their first grandchild. Each episode had a specific theme, mission, or challenge which was accomplished by performing pranks, skateboarding, and enlisting the help of . ", From GmanGent: "Alice Cooper Von Braun in 1974's Welcome to my Nightmare Tourone of the most successful tours financially up until that time. As Brennan recalls it, the Beach Boys were paid $7,500 for their performance, and the Rolling Stones received $5,000. Two years later WBAM went country and the station was later sold. Ask anyone who was there. ", From Denniswingo: "The Grateful Dead in 1978 at the Boutwell Auditorium. Hello? Thomas, joined by John Kay (solo after leaving Steppenwolf), the Grass Roots and others. The station's transmitter is located in the town of Grady, Alabama. WMSP (740 AM, "Sports Radio 740") is a radio station licensed to serve Montgomery, Alabama, USA.The station is owned by Cumulus Media and the broadcast license is held by Cumulus Licensing LLC. A guy during intermission pulled his hankee out of his pockes and a gun fell out and fired a round into the row od seats in front of us. The Temptations and The Supremes, The TCB Tour, Auburn University, 1972. "Hendrix, Joplin, the Who, Elvis, Dylan all played in Tuscaloosa," said Jeremy Don McCollough. We had enough left over that, for a lot of our promotions after that, people would get free raincoats.". The Hollies. BOBBY GOLDSBORO. This doesn't even scratch the surface! Shower of Stars audiences were accustomed to seeing a mix of rock, pop and country acts on stage, and the lineup for every show had a pecking order. Roy Orbis. Wed have them in the spring, summer, fall and winter, said Dan Brennan, known on-air as Dan the Music Man hosting Dans Dusty Discs, who also announced acts on-stage. It was elbow to elbow in there, remembered drummer Tommy Beavers. The Who. Brennan also remembers that Starr requested reinforcements to the stage area near his drum kit, because strong gusts lingered after the hurricane. Yet there was also a gentler side of the city that. WVOK used Legion Field as a test case that spring, Brennan says, to see if the Shower of Stars could work at Birmingham's largest venue. Paul Revere & the Raiders. The most entertaining act? Whitwam, now in his 47th year playing music, is pleased with the makeup of their current audiences. Only concert I have ever been to where they had tee shirts for the guitarist in the band along with the band's shirts. Disbanded in 66, reunited 76, returned to active performance 1991. Its effortless., Even after all these years, agreed Jones. He plays locally at Ruddles, Coaches Corner in Wetumpka, Young Barn Oyster Pub, and has recorded a CD. Lou Christie was huge in Montgomery. In the 1960's WVOK, in Birmingham Alabama, would have the top bands play at one huge concert. They had the Stones in about 1963-64, with Brian Jones before he died. Johnny Cash. "Play It All Night Long." "Radio played the song every twenty minutes. Garrett Coliseum, in contrast, could hold 10,000+ for a single performance in Montgomery. We were considered the number one soul band in the south. We enjoyed all the years we spent in radio, said Dan Brennan, who now owns a video production company in Birmingham. It would be tough going back to ballrooms and small clubs after this. Anotherbrother, Bill Brennan, was the undisputed chief of the Jacksonville station, and had houses in Montgomery and Jacksonville. There was a little jealousy there.". He wants to go on late in the show.' Brennan bid farewell to concert promotion in 1973 --a necessary business decision, he says -- and for Birmingham music lovers, it was the end of an era. Formed: 1966, Tallassee. We would always find the artists who were very popular with our audience, and we would try to get them, and we usually were successful.". ", From David Hester: "Eagles at Von Braun Civic Center in Huntsville in 1975. Hes been a school principal and now sells wholesale art, although business has been suffering due to the economy. Lowell George in his prime," says Bingothatwuzagoody. Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy Uploaded 11 years ago Music 4; Photos 0; Interview . 1973(?). In the 1950s and '60s, Montgomery, Alabama, was ground zero f. The Other Side of Montgomery book. The Quad show was FREE! Some of the concerts took place in a single location -- most often, Jacksonville. WBAM, also known as Bama Country 98.9, is a country music formatted radio station that serves the Montgomery Metropolitan Area, broadcasting on the FM band at a frequency of 98.9 MHz and licensed to Montgomery, Alabama. Members: Original members Larry Hoyle, Johnny Hassett and Ron Howard, plus Chris Seymour, Johnny Long, Jr. and Craig Young. Neil Diamond. The Rogues recorded the 45 in February of 1966, for MBM Records, a Birmingham, Alabama label that goes back to the early '60s. Music lovers would line up at each venue, some arriving hours in advance, then rush inside to secure their favorite general-admission seats. For an 18-year-old to take home a pillowsack full of dollars, that was quite a heady time.. That way I could see the stars and hear the music better. You can either do that, or you will not have a place to change. I kept going to at least one show a year through about 1968, he said. "We started in 1947, and if you think about it, you didn't have very much television in those days," Brennan says in a recent interview. The capsule was opened during a ceremony December 3, but a complete list of its contents were not released at the time. The Fabulous Shades, 1965. For more, visit Rich's YouTube Channel . "I didn't stay up there too long," Brennan says, laughing. The Byrds. We'd get hamburgers and bring them back, with someone always holding our place. Skynnard (not really a fan) opening for Wet Willie - 1972-73(?). I remember some of them telling us they came to every show that whole year.". One of the most powerful Shower of Stars events happened on May 7, 1965, when WVOK brought the Rolling Stones and the Beach Boys to Legion Field. From Denniswingo: "Was there! ", The Birmingham News file photo/Philip Barr. Tommy James, of Tommy James and the Shondells, describing his appearance at the WBAM and WVOK Summer Shows in 1966 (from Me, the Mob and the Music). And didn't ever explain to the people what had happened. If you have one, it's going to be way down the other part of the field.' We put on a heck of a show, said Grier. "You didn't have to know anything about guitar to realize that he was one of the best ever to take the stage. I dont feel like well have any problem (remembering their songs). Its a good bet theyll play some Steely Dan, Crosby, Stills & Nash, a favorite, Sweet Magnolia, and Bill Hinds rendition of Joe Walshs Rocky Mountain Way.. The primary reason for the shows was to keep a personal relationship with the listeners, said Dan Brennan, 81, former general manager at WVOK. Oh, and some guy named David on slide. WBAM Big Bam Shows 7,142 views Nov 21, 2010 One of the big hit singers of the 60's and 70's working on a bit with me for a TV show..a little behind the scenes..Bobby is involved with art. The WMAQ slogan came from a contest where winners would have to answer the phone "WMAQ's gonna make me rich," so you had people using the phrase anytime. Add the extra costs associated with security guards and insurance, and hiring bands is not a profitable option for many club owners. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). He pulls this at every one of our shows. We'll have to ask him. It was a real happening thing.. In the spring of 1968, we played the Big Bam Spring show in Montgomery and were seen by a producer from Hollywood named Bob Hinkle. Moody remembers Roy Orbison being one of the nicer, more polite performers, and the Grass Roots, Paul Revere and Buckinghams being easy to work with. ", From Shapeshiftinhmojo: "Jimi Hendrix played Alabama twice in both Tuscaloosa and Auburn in 1968 or 69. ", From Eric Pendergrass: "Grateful Dead BJCC April 4,5 1995.". The Rockin' Rebellions won top honors - beating out 67 other bands from throughout Alabama. It was the summer after my senior year, said Grier, who was joined by Keith Brewer on bass, Bobby Dupree on drums, Rusty Crumpton on guitar, Ronnie Monroe on trumpet and Ed Sanford on keyboards. Best Review Site for Digital Cameras. Just a few of the letters WBAM received from fans providing input into the acts they wished to see at the shows. From what we can tell, she appeared there in 1970, but the story mentions Dec. 3, 1970, as the date of her show. Fans would mail their orders to the station, requesting a specific showtime, and the envelopes often included suggestions for artists they'd like to see. I don't even think it was a sell out. With an amazing backing band, he proceeded to entertain the entire evening. All rights reserved (About Us).
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