Songs of 1964

 

By Mark Ehmcke

1. Keep Searchin' - Del Shannon

2. The Crusher - The Novas

3. Don't Bring Me Down - The Pretty Things

4. C'mon and Swim - Bobby Freeman

5. Boom Boom - The Animals

6. Everybody Loves Somebody - Dean Martin

7. Don't Throw Your Love Away - The Searchers

8. Don't Give Me No Lip Child - Dave Berry

9. Loose Talk - Buck Owens and Rose Maddox

10. Wishin' and Hopin' - Dusty Springfield

11. The Girl From Ipanema - Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto

12. Gonna Get Along Without You Know - Skeeter Davis

13. Laugh, Laugh - The Beau Brummels

14. You Really Got Me - The Kinks

15. Downtown - Petula Clark

16. Farmer John - The Premiers

17. Sittin' In An All Nite Cafe - Warner Mack

18. She's Not There - The Zombies

19. Can't You See That She's Mine - Dave Clark Five

20. Dang Me - Roger Miller

21. Mountain of Love - Johnny Rivers

22. The Cat - Jimmy Smith

23. Keep On Pushing - The Impressions

24. How Do You Do It - Gerry and the Pacemakers

25. Give Me 40 Acres - The Willis Brothers

26. Try It Baby - Marvin Gaye

Recommended Station #1, Boss Radio 66, August 2022

Thanks to Peter Skiera for recommending Boss Radio 66 as the #1 station for August in his Recommended Stations newsletter!  Here's an excerpt from our interview.

Two and a half years ago I recommended a fantastic oldies Internet station called Rock ‘n’ Soul Ichiban by New Jersey station WFMU. That stream was expertly programmed by Debbie Daughtry. After 18 years at WFMU she was let go by the station manager during the summer of 2020, so she took all her records and went home. She then did what any music and radio geek would have done- she started her own station! Boss Radio 66 is a new and improved version of Rock ‘n’ Soul Ichiban with a minty fresh taste. She also forced WFMU to drop the “Ichiban” name. You go girl.

Songs I’ve Never Heard

As with Daughtry’s previous station, most of the artists on Boss Radio 66 I’ve never heard of before. Examples? The Monks, The Vibrations, The Rhythm Rockers, The Exciters, Wanda Jackson, The Iguanas, and The Apostles. Even the names I was familiar with like Chuck Berry, Paul Revere & The Raiders, The Zombies, The Ronettes, The Kinks, and The Guess Who, featured songs that weren’t monster hits but were nonetheless most enjoyable to listen to. There’s nothing particularly special about your average oldies station, but my Recommended Stations are never average. In the case of Boss Radio 66, it gives life to forgotten rock and soul gems from the 50’s and 60’s. If you think that drastically limits BR66’s playlist, your ears will be pleasantly surprised. Boss Radio 66’s music library exceeds 8,800 songs. The music libraries of most of my Recommended Stations don’t even come close to that figure. Of course, quality is more important than quantity, but I have no complaints in that department either.

Vintage Fluff

In between song sets, the retro vibe is further reinforced with nifty vintage sound bites and radio adverts like the “Pepsi generation” and “Diet Rite” spots, an extended segment from the US Army’s In Sound radio program, B movie trailers, a Dragnet-inspired public service announcement, and old radio station jingles performed by The Johnny Mann Singers. Some stations go overboard with this kind of fluff and it can border on annoying, but Boss Radio 66 strikes just the right balance between music and nostalgic clips.

Unlike most of the people I’ve interviewed for my Recommended Stations, Daughtry, like myself, actually has professional radio experience, having worked for NPR, WQXR, WNYC, Air America Radio, and her time with WFMU. That experience lends Boss Radio 66 a consistent, professional sound. It also has a clean sound since it streams in the AAC audio codec. I re-established contact with Daughtry to get the story behind her new station.

Peter: Why the name Boss Radio 66?

Debbie: It could mean 66 on the AM Dial or the year 1966, when so much great music was being released.

Peter: Assuming most of your listeners are from the US, what are the other leading countries?

Debbie: UK and France.

Peter: Tom Hanks created an hour-long Rockabilly/Surf/Hot Rod radio show exclusively for Boss Radio 66?

Debbie: Tom Hanks has been a DJ for the past year, with 9 shows to date. The name of his show is Songs From The Back Of The Station Wagon. All of our archived shows are uploaded to Mixcloud.

Peter: How did the Hanks show come about?

Debbie: Tom was a big fan of the Ichiban stream and he sent me a type-written letter @ 10 years ago. We became pen pals and when I told him I'd been fired from WFMU, he offered to do a guest DJ set for me. That was last July and he's done 8 more shows since then! He's a great DJ.

Peter: Do you have a favorite strange album or song?

Debbie: So many! I especially love weird advertising records.

Peter: How does Boss Radio 66 stay on the air?

Debbie: We are listener supported. Fans can donate via Ko-Fi or Patreon

Peter: Anything else to add, Debbie?

Debbie: We are always looking for new DJ's who spin obscure 60's music! Get in touch bossradio66@gmail.com

Boss Radio 66 is a fun, upbeat Internet station you won’t soon grow weary of listening to. It sounds so sweet you could practically spread it on a biscuit. It’s a great summer station, too, though I started tuning in long before the summer rolled around. Even though it’s technically an oldies station it maintains a fresh sound since every song isn’t burned into your cerebral cortex. It also helps that it’s programmed by someone who knows exactly what she’s doing and has major respect for the music. Hey- If it’s good enough for Tom Hanks…

Horror House on Highway 5

 

With The Spookshow Serenade

1. "So, you want to visit a haunted house?" – excerpt from "Sounds to Make You Shiver" LP

2. Dinner with Drac – The Cramps (live 10/31/99)

3. It – Johnny Fraser and the Regalaires

4. Haunted Sax – The Night Caps

5. House in the Alley – The Brassetts

6. The Weird One – The Graytones

7. Night of the Vampire – The Moontrekkers

8. Down in the Basement – The Munsters

9. The Haunted Pad – Ted Taylor Four

10. Graveyard – The Phantom Five

11. "I double dare you." – Ralph Bell (from "Scary Spooky Stories")

12. Haunted House – The Creed Taylor Orchestra

13. Carnival of Souls – Combustible Edison

14. House on Haunted Hill – Frank De Vol and His Orchestra

15. Faces in the Dark (Martenot Theme) – Janine De Waleyne and Her Martenot

16. Down in the Lab – Deadbolt

17. Séance on a Wet Afternoon – Sir Julian at the Organ with Orchestra and Chorus

18. "These are the creatures that are present with us." - from "Ghost Story and Sound Effects" (Ball Records)

19. Dead (alternate take) – The Poets

20. "E.S.P" Theme for Shock Theater – The Weirdos

21. The Chiller (A Very Short Story) – Googie Rene Combo

22. Haunted – The Madmen

23. The Friendly Undertaker – The Alleykatz

24. Haunted Castle – The Kingsmen

25. Night Creature – The Run-A-Ways

26. The Phantom Driver – Hal Blaine and the Young Cougars

27. The Purple Monster – Dean Hightower (George Barnes)

28. The Green Werewolf – The Pharaohs

29. Graveyard – The Blazers

30. Black Widow – The Bootmen

31. Monster Beat – The Beatniks

This Week In '66

 

With Lynn Peril

The week of August 8 was pretty typical for the summer of 1966: Vietnam, the space race, the Beatles, cosmic retribution, the Pill . . . oh, and a “rainmaker” hard at work in drought-stricken San Diego. This week’s episode is also the penultimate for This Week in ‘66. Can you believe it’s been a year already? 

SHOW NOTES

“A Hero’s Medal Given to Widow,” San Francisco Examiner, June 15, 1967, 15. 

“A Near Sell-out for Beatles in Detroit,” The Oakland Tribune, August 14, 1966, 5. 

“Apology by Beatles Wins DJ’s Approval,” Lake Charles American-Press (Lake Charles, Louisiana), August 13, 1966, 7. 

“Ban Beatles Event to be in Marshall,” The Times (Shreveport, Louisiana), August 11, 1966, 8. 

“Beatle Burners,” Odessa American (Odessa, Texas), August 14, 1966, 

“Beatle Sorry About Remark, ‘But It’s Still True,’” The Oakland Tribune, August 12, 1966, 8. 

Brody, Jane E., “Birth Control Study Finds No Proof Pill is Unsafe; Panel F.D.A. Sponsored Asks More Research to Get at the Facts,” New York Times, August 15, 1966, 1. 

“Chicago Teen-agers Still Adore Beatles,” The Oakland Tribune, Saturday, August 13, 1966, 12-B. 

“Deluge of 1916 Recalled; Amateur Rainmaker Seeking to Fill Nearly Dry Reservoir,” The Los Angeles Times, August 10, 1966, 3. 

“‘Honest Error’ in Ship Attack; Widow of Skipper Bitter,” The Oakland Tribune, August 12, 1966, 1. 

Kirkman, Don, “Research Shows Birth Control Pill Not Causing Female Illness,” El Paso Herald-Post (El Paso, Texas), August 15, 1966, 1. 

“Lightning Hits KLUE,” August 14, 1966, The Longview News-Journal (Longview, Texas), 2. 

“‘Mistake’ Raid Hits U.S. Ship; Two Coast Guardsmen Die in Second Misdirected Air Strike in Two Days,” The Oakland Tribune, August 11, 1966, 1. 

“Rainmaker Gives Up on Production,” The Kansas City Times (Kansas City, Missouri), August 18, 1966, 2.

“Roar of Jets; Sparse Turnout for Beatle Entry,” The Oakland Tribune, August 11, 1966, 16. 

West, Richard, “Spacecraft Starts 35-Day Trip to Photograph Areas on the Moon,” The Los Angeles Times, August 11, 1966. 1. 

Patreon

 

Now you can support Boss Radio 66 by becoming a monthly member for $6 a month.  Cheap!  Thanks to all our monthly supporters!  Autumn E, Pat K, Melissa Jean G, Connie F, Deviln T, Lynn P, Mandy M, Andreas T and Scooter!  

Scratchy Singles

 

With Mark Ehmcke

1. Sookie Sookie - Don Covay

2. The Joker Went Wild - Brian Hyland

3. There Was A Time - James Brown

4. Whole Lotta Love - C.C.S.

5. Last Night - Mar-Keys

6. I'm A Man Of Action - Jimmy Hughes

7. Band Of Gold - Freda Payne

8. Outa Space - Billy Preston

9. Telstar - Tornadoes

10. Ain't That Loving You Baby - Jerry Butler & Betty Everett

11. Blues In The Night - Doris Day

12. The Lady Wants To Twist - Steve Lawrence

13. Playgirl - Thee Prophets

14. He Ain't Give You None - Freddie Scott

15. Tell Me Something Good - Rufus

16. Bull Dog - Shangri-Las

17. The City Never Sleeps At Night - Nancy Sinatra

18. The Lonely Bull - The Tijuana Brass ft. Herb Alpert

19. Move On Up - Flying Lizards

20. Give Me One More Chance - Wilmer Alexander Jr & the Dukes

21. C.C. Rider - Bobby Powell

22. Come And Give Your Love To Me - New Colony Six

23. Dix-A-Billy - Lavern Baker

24. Kon-Tiki - The Islanders

This Week In '66

 

With Lynn Peril

The first week of August 1966 was not only a microcosm of that whole tumultuous year, but also a harbinger of the twenty-first century. There was gun violence, racial unrest, calls for liberalized abortion laws, a celebrity wedding, and, of course, John Lennon versus the fundamentalists. 

SHOW NOTES: 

Barnes, Michael, “Finding No ‘Responsible’ Book on Shooting, He Wrote One,” Austin American-Statesman, July 31, 2016, D-9. 

“Beatle Boycott Widening in Dixie,” New York Daily News, August 4, 1966, 14. 

Bruckner, J.D.R., “King Hit By Rock as Whites Resist Civil Rights Marchers,” Los Angeles Times, August 6, 1966, 1. 

Cleave, Maureen, “The Beatles, Part III; John in His Gorilla Suit, Seeking What?” The Detroit Free Press, May 8,1966, 28.

“Epstein Arrives in U.S., Trying to Halt Beatle Ban Bandwagon,” The Los Angeles, Times, August 6, 1966, 27.

Haber, Joyce, “It Was Luci’s Day All the Way as She Became Mrs. Nugent,” The Los Angeles Times, August 7, 1966, 1. 

“John, the Beatle’s, Quote on Jesus ‘Out of Context,’” The Miami News, August 5, 1966, 20. 

“Knife Misses, King Stoned,” New York Daily News, August 6, 1966, 2. 

“Local Radio Station Joins Beatle Ban,” The Daily Times-News (Burlington, North Carolina), August 3, 1966, 1. 

McCabe, Charles, “We’re More Popular Than Jesus Now,” Democrat and Chronicle (Rochester, New York), April 22, 1966, 24. 

“Quote Angers Beatle Fans,” The Selma Times-Journal (Selma, Alabama), August 2, 1966, 10. 

“Sniper Buried Beside Mother He Murdered,” Los Angeles Times, August 6, 1966, 15. 

Thornhill, Barbara, “Sorry About That, But You Can Still Hear the Beatles in Macon,” The Macon News (Macon, Georgia), August 4, 1966, 8.

University of Texas tower shooting

“Weekend TV; 3 Networks to Cover Luci’s Wedding Today,” The Los Angeles, Times, August 6, 1966, 28. 

“With Tears of Joy; Luci, Pat Nugent Exchange Vows,” The Los Angeles Times, August 7, 1966, 1. 

Beatniks

 

With Mark Ehmcke

1. The Beat Generation - Bob McFadden and Dor

2. Beat Girl - Adam Faith

3. Recitation - Fred Gwynne (Far Out Munsters)

4. Kookie's Mad Pad - Edd "Kookie" Burns

5. Teenage Beatnik - Louis Nye

6. Opp-Pop--A-Da - Dizzy Gillespie and his Orchestra

7. Like Young - Perry Como

8. Beatnik - The Royal Jokers

9. Basic Hip - Del Close & John Brent

10. Crazy Vibrations - The Bikinis

11. Bongo Beatin' Beatnik - Joe Hall & the Corvettes

12. Twisted - Lambert, Hendrick & Ross

13. Beatnik Daddy - Barbara Evans

14. Doin' the Beatnik Twist - Huey Smith and the Clowns

15. Sorta Blue - Henry Mancini

16.The Beat Generation - Paul Evans

17. High School Drag - Phillipa Fallon

18. Pad - Bobby Summers

19. Beatnik Bill - Richard Pine

20. The Image Pt. 1 - Hank Levine

21. Like I Love You - Edd "Kookie' Burns

22. Recitation - Kelton Garwood (Far Out Munsters)

23. Laughin' Beatnik - Johnny Beeman

24. Kerouazy - Don Morrow

25. Beat-nik - J.M. Van Eaton

26. Beatnik Baby - The Bee Hives

27. No Pictures, Please - Rod McKuen

28. Professor Bop - Three Bips, A Bop

29. Reaching Into In - Ken Nordine

30. Beat Guitar - The Wailers

31. Benny the Beatnik - Untouchables

We Say Yeah Yeah Yeah #02

 

With Robin Braid

01 The Flying Burrito Brothers - If You Gotta Go

02 Brian Auger with Julie Driscoll & The Trinity - A Kind Of Love In

03 Clifford Curry - I Can't Get A Hold Of Myself

04 Gino Parks - Same Thing

05 Yvonne Baker - You Didn't Say A Word

06 The Romeos - Precious Memories

07 Gordon Jackson - A Day At The Cottage

08 Duane Eddy - Mule Train

09 Theola Kilgore - The Sound Of My Man

10 Johnny Cash - Going To Memphis

11 The Selah Jubilee Singers - Downward Road

12 Betty Harris - There's A Break In The Road

13 Aaron Neville - Over You

14 Johnny Horton - I'm Coming Home

15 The Mersey Men - I Can Tell

16 The Troggs - You're Lyin'

17 Johnny Burnette - If You Want It Enough

18 John Lee Hooker - What Do You Say

19 Small Faces - Understanding

20 Dusty Springfield - Little By Little 

21 Guitar Ray - Ball And Chain

This Week In '66 - The Fishers Disappear

 

With Lynn Peril

Were there more kidnappings and disappearances than usual in 1966, or am I just attracted to those stories? If it’s the latter, what does that say about me? Perhaps it’s an easy answer: If I fall down a rabbit hole to find out what happened next, maybe listeners will be intrigued as well. The story of Max and Edith Fisher is a wild one, involving arson, a likely murder, and a faked suicide. Also in the news this week, a Merry Prankster gets married and a teen critic harshly reviews the Rolling Stones show at the Cow Palace–on Mick’s 23rd birthday, no less! 

SHOW NOTES: 

Interesting blog post with memories from Space Daisy's son. 

“303rd Golden Gate Suicide Feared,” San Francisco Examiner, June 27, 1966, 20. 

Bengelsdorf, Irving H., Ph.D., “Of Atoms and Men; Carbon Dioxide Enriched Air–A Lot of Contemporary Sun,” The Los Angeles Times, July 28, 1966, 33. 

“He’ll Stay, Despite Hostility; Cranks Harass Negro in Ritzy Detroit Area,” The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 27, 1. 

Leggett, Jim, “Widow Remembers Husband Who Died in Crash 25 Years Ago,” The Town Talk (Alexandria, Virginia), July 29, 1991, 21. 

Looney, Gerri, “Stone Shook Up?” Oakland Tribune, July 30, 1966, 8.

Mealey, Mike, “Cabin in Mystery Razed in Clue Hunt,” The Oakland Tribune, July 15, 1966, 4. 

Mealey, Mike, “FBI Joins Hunt for SF Man–Wife’s Body at Cabin?” The Oakland Tribune, July 14, 1966, 5. 

O’Brien, William, “Cops Still Baffled by the Missing Fishers,” The San Francisco Examiner, July 2, 1967, 8. 

“Pope to OK Birth Pill, Italian Paper Claims; Fantasy, Vatican Says,” The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 27, 4. 

Spears, Larry, “Groom Had the Second Longest Hair,” Oakland Tribune, July 25, 1966, 3. 

“Tragic Rampage; Elephant Tramples Trainer,” Oakland Tribune, July 30, 1966, 4. 

Weston, Mary Ann, “Jobs Run Out; 2 Negro Families Leaving Pointes,” The Detroit Press, November 24, 1966, 3. 

Trash!

 

With Mark Ehmcke

1. She's A Fat Girl - Rock-a-Bouts

2. Camel Walk - Saxons

3. Bacon Fat - The Triads

4. Emulsified - Rex Garvin and the Mighty Cravers

5. Big Fat Mama - Roy Young

6. Chimpanzee Ride - Mike Lawing

7. The Beat Generation - Mamie Van Doren

8. One Potato - The Elite

9. Betty Lou's Got A New Tattoo - The Creep

10. Go Go Gorilla - The Shandells

11. The Gamma Goochee - The Gamma Goochee

12. We All Love Peanut Butter - The One Way Street

13. Tarzan - The Ape Quartet

14. Karate - Ray Sanders and Friend

15. New Dance In France - Bobby Lee Trammell

16. Duh - The Fantastic Emanons

17. Big Fat Baby - Sonny Hall

18. Beatnik's Wish - Patsy Raye and the Beatniks

19. Cave Man Hop - Jerry Coulston

20. Fire Water - The Premieres

21. Surfin' Monkey - The Spinners

22. The Trance - Gary Shelton

23. Man With The Golden Arm - Gemtones

24. Konga Joe - Arch Hall Jr.

25. Jugue - Johnny Amelio

26. Bip Bop Bip - Pretty Boy

27. Discombobulated - Rex Johnson

28. Cheese Blintzes - Don Thompson Quartet

This Week In '66

 

With Lynn Peril

It was the week that Bobby Fuller died under mysterious circumstances and Mrs. America 1966 gave her opinions on fighting divorce and raising happy children. Other names in the news this week: Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, Jayne Mansfield, and Montgomery Clift, alas, not all in the same place at the same time. 

SHOW NOTES

“‘66 Mrs. America; Houston Housewife No. 1 Homemaker,” Evansville Courier and Press (Evansville, IN), May 9, 1966, 8.

“Autopsy Inconclusive,” Daily News-Post (Monrovia, CA), July 20, 1966, 22.

Brimmell, George, “San Diego corners market on off-beat beauty contests,” The Ottawa Citizen (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada), December 19, 1967, 22. 

Gundersen, Edna, “Broken Melody,” El Paso Times, June 7, 1982, 13.

Hall, Claude, “Bobby Fuller Four Fills Nitery Air With Excitement,” Billboard, May 14, 1966, 48. 

“Houston TV Ratings War,” Texas Monthly, May 1974, 12. s

Klemesrud, Judy, “Woman’s Place in School Too, Says Mrs. America,” Corpus-Christi Caller-Times, July 1, 1966, 30. 

“Marital Inquiry Asked in House; Justice Douglas’ Character Under Attack,” The Los Angeles Times, July 19, 1966, 1. 

“Misadventures of Mrs. America,” Press-Telegram (Long Beach, CA), October 9, 1966, 100. 

“Movie Manager Files Suit,” The Jackson Sun (Jackson, TN), July 20, 1966, 2. 

“Montgomery Clift, 45, dies of heart attack in New York,” The Los Angeles Times, July 24, 1966, 3. 

“Mrs. America Ired; Dispute Rises About Prizes,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, May 17, 1967, 18. 

“Mrs. America Tells How to Beat Divorce Scandal,” Oakland Tribune, July 24, 1966, 8. 

“Policeman Closes Show; He Wasn’t Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” The Memphis Press-Scimitar, July 18, 1966, 17. 

Silverman, Jan, “Luncheon with Mrs. America,” Oakland Tribune, October 7, 1966, 34. 

“Singer Found Dead in Automobile,” Press-Telegram (Long Beach, CA), July 19, 1966, 25. 

Stanford, Nancy, “Mrs. America Tackles Her Homework,” Corpus Christi Times, January 9, 1969, 25. 

“Tests Slated in Death of Rock and Roll Singer,” Santa Cruz Sentinel (Santa Cruz, CA), July 20, 1966, 13. 

Thompson, Thomas, “Raw Dialogue Challenges All the Censors,” Life Magazine, June 10, 1966, 92. 

Wilson, Earl, “It Happened Last Night,” Courier-Post (Camden, New Jersey), July 19, 1966, 19. 

“‘Whose Afraid’ Gets Cleared for Nashville,” Chicago Tribune, July 21, 1966, 53.