From the Desk of CLASSICKONG
Good morning, friends, and welcome to another edition of This Day in Music History from WTSG-DB — where the records keep spinning, the memories keep coming, and great music never gets old.
Today we’re traveling from the swamps of Southern rock to the streets of Chicago, stopping for a beautiful reflection from Dan Fogelberg, airing some “Dirty Laundry” with Don Henley, going all the way back to the original “Hound Dog,” and even getting a little muddy at Woodstock.
But before we turn up the music, we begin where we always do.
A Salute to America’s Armed Forces 🇺🇸
To the men and women serving today, and to every veteran who has worn the uniform of the United States Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard:
Thank you.
The freedoms we enjoy — including the freedom to sit behind a microphone and share the music we love — were bought and protected by generations of Americans willing to serve something larger than themselves.
From all of us at WTSG-DB and the KONG CREW, we salute you.
God bless our troops, our veterans, and the United States of America. 🇺🇸
The Bird Takes Flight — Lynyrd Skynyrd 🎸
There are debut albums…
And then there are debut albums that announce, “We’re here.”
On August 13, 1973, Lynyrd Skynyrd released their debut album:
Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd.
Fifty-three years later, just look at some of the music sitting on that one record:
“Tuesday’s Gone”
“Gimme Three Steps”
“Simple Man”
“Free Bird”
Good grief.
Most bands would be thrilled to have four songs of that caliber scattered across an entire career. Skynyrd put them on album number one.
Produced by Al Kooper, the album introduced much of America to a hard-driving Southern rock sound built from blues, country, rock & roll and three-guitar firepower.
The lineup included Ronnie Van Zant on vocals, Gary Rossington and Allen Collins on guitars, Ed King on guitar and bass, Billy Powell on keyboards and Bob Burns on drums, with bassist Leon Wilkeson associated with the group during the album’s creation.
And then there’s “Free Bird.”
What is left to say about that song?
It begins almost delicately. Billy Powell’s piano opens the door. Ronnie Van Zant delivers one of rock’s most recognizable vocals. The song gradually grows until Allen Collins’ extended guitar solo sends the whole thing into orbit.
And somewhere along the way, “Free Bird” became bigger than a record.
It became an anthem of freedom, departure, remembrance and the desire to follow your own road.
For CLASSICKONG, Lynyrd Skynyrd isn’t simply another band in the record collection.
They’re one of my favorite bands of all time.
And 53 years after that first album arrived, you can put Pronounced on the turntable, drop the needle, and understand immediately why.
Some records become old.
This one became American rock & roll history.
CLASSICKONG’s Skynyrd Shelf 💿
A few essentials from the classic run:
- Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd — 1973
- Second Helping — 1974
- Nuthin’ Fancy — 1975
- Gimme Back My Bullets — 1976
- One More from the Road — 1976
- Street Survivors — 1977
Turn it up.
And if somebody in the back yells “FREE BIRD!”…
For once, they’re in exactly the right place. 😂
Hughie Thomasson — An Outlaw Comes to Town 🎸
Here’s one of those musical coincidences that makes August 13 especially interesting.
Hughie Thomasson was born August 13, 1952. He died September 9, 2007, at only 55 years old.
Thomasson became best known as a founding member, guitarist and vocalist for The Outlaws, another band that helped define Southern rock.
Their self-titled debut, Outlaws (1975), gave us “There Goes Another Love Song” and the monumental “Green Grass & High Tides.”
And if you’re a guitar fan, that last one requires no introduction.
The Outlaws followed with:
- Lady in Waiting — 1976
- Hurry Sundown — 1977
- Bring It Back Alive — 1978
- Playin’ to Win — 1978
- In the Eye of the Storm — 1979
- Ghost Riders — 1980
But here’s the beautiful connection to today’s lead story:
Years later, Hughie Thomasson became a member of Lynyrd Skynyrd, playing guitar with the band from the mid-1990s into the 2000s.
Two branches of the Southern-rock family tree, joined together.
Happy birthday in heaven, Hughie.
Those guitars are still ringing.
Dan Fogelberg — The Leader of the Band 🎹
Daniel Grayling Fogelberg was born August 13, 1951. He died December 16, 2007.
He was only 56 years old.
Much, much too soon.
Dan Fogelberg possessed one of those rare gifts: he could write a song that felt as though it belonged specifically to you.
His catalog includes Home Free (1972), Souvenirs (1974), Captured Angel (1975), Nether Lands (1977), Phoenix (1979), The Innocent Age (1981), Windows and Walls (1984) and many more.
There was “Longer.”
“Run for the Roses.”
“Hard to Say.”
“Part of the Plan.”
“Same Old Lang Syne.”
And, of course…
“Leader of the Band.”
That one hits CLASSICKONG in a very personal place.
I often think about my own Dad when I hear it.
That’s the power of a truly great song. Fogelberg wrote about his father, but somehow he left enough room inside the song for the rest of us to bring our fathers with us.
For a few minutes, they’re there again.
The memories.
The lessons.
The music.
And the things we wish we had one more opportunity to say.
Then there’s “Same Old Lang Syne.”
Few songs capture the strange mixture of love, memory, passing years and roads not taken quite like it.
And what does the title actually mean?
The Scottish phrase “auld lang syne” roughly means “for old times’ sake” — a remembrance of old times and old friendships.
Suddenly Fogelberg’s title makes perfect sense.
Two people from another chapter of life unexpectedly meet again. For a few minutes the years disappear.
And then…
life continues.
That’s why the song can stop you in your tracks.
Dan Fogelberg didn’t merely write songs.
Sometimes he wrote memories we hadn’t put into words yet.
Happy birthday, Dan.
And thank you for the music.
Don Henley Airs the “Dirty Laundry” 🦅
After the Eagles entered their early-’80s hiatus, Don Henley began building one of rock’s strongest solo careers.
His debut solo album, I Can’t Stand Still (1982), brought us “Johnny Can’t Read” and one monster of a record:
“Dirty Laundry.”
That groove is addictive.
Once it starts, you’re in.
And guitar fans have another reason to turn up the volume: among the musicians contributing guitar work to the recording were Joe Walsh and Steve Lukather.
Yes…
THAT Steve Lukather.
Toto’s guitar wizard. Session legend. And around these parts, one of CLASSICKONG’s main men.
Luke has played on so many records that sometimes you discover him hiding in the credits years later and think:
“Of COURSE that’s Lukather!” 😂
Henley’s solo catalog only became stronger.
Don Henley Solo Albums 💿
- I Can’t Stand Still — 1982
- Building the Perfect Beast — 1984
- The End of the Innocence — 1989
- Inside Job — 2000
- Cass County — 2015
And the singles?
“Dirty Laundry.”
“The Boys of Summer.”
“All She Wants to Do Is Dance.”
“Sunset Grill.”
“The End of the Innocence.”
“The Last Worthless Evening.”
“The Heart of the Matter.”
That’s not merely a successful side trip away from the Eagles.
That’s a career.
Chicago — Brass, Guitars and Timeless Songs 🎺
On August 13 we also have an anniversary associated with Chicago 13 (1979), which gives us the perfect excuse to talk about one of America’s truly great bands.
And where do you even begin with Chicago?
Early Chicago could absolutely ROCK.
The original combination of guitar, bass, keyboards, drums and that magnificent horn section created something almost impossible to confuse with anyone else.
And then there was Terry Kath.
Kath was a tremendous guitarist, singer and musician whose work deserves to be remembered whenever the story of Chicago is told.
Listen to those early records and you’ll hear a band willing to stretch out, experiment, improvise and hit you with enormous arrangements.
Then consider the songs:
“Beginnings.”
“Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?”
“25 or 6 to 4.”
“Make Me Smile.”
“Colour My World.”
“Saturday in the Park.”
“Feelin’ Stronger Every Day.”
And that was only part of the story.
As the years passed, Peter Cetera’s unmistakable voice helped carry Chicago into another enormously successful era.
“Hard to Say I’m Sorry.”
“Stay the Night.”
“Hard Habit to Break.”
“You’re the Inspiration.”
Different era.
Different production.
But still unmistakably Chicago.
So much talent.
So much beautiful music.
Timeless.
Before Elvis — Big Mama Thornton Had a “Hound Dog” 🎙️
On August 13, 1952, Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton recorded the original version of “Hound Dog,” written by the young songwriting team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.
Thornton’s recording became a major R&B hit the following year, reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s R&B chart.
Four years later, Elvis Presley’s recording would turn “Hound Dog” into one of the most famous songs in rock & roll history.
But the story didn’t begin with Elvis.
It began with Big Mama Thornton.
Born December 11, 1926, Thornton was a powerful blues and R&B singer whose voice could practically knock the walls down. She died July 25, 1984.
She also wrote and recorded “Ball and Chain,” a song later famously associated with Janis Joplin.
Today we give Big Mama her flowers.
Because knowing where the music came from makes enjoying where it went even better.
Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac Takes the Stage 🎸
On August 13, 1967, the original Fleetwood Mac made its early stage debut at the National Jazz and Blues Festival at Windsor, England.
And we’re not talking about the later Rumours-era lineup.
This was Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac.
The group included Peter Green, Mick Fleetwood, Jeremy Spencer and Bob Brunning, who temporarily handled bass before John McVie joined.
Before “Dreams.”
Before “Go Your Own Way.”
Before Rumours.
Fleetwood Mac was a British blues band, with Peter Green establishing himself as one of the most expressive guitarists of his generation.
Yesterday we spent plenty of time with the wider Fleetwood Mac family, so we’ll leave this one short.
But August 13, 1967 deserves recognition.
One of rock’s longest and most fascinating stories was beginning.
The Guess Who and an “American Woman” 🇨🇦
Another great name from the classic-rock shelf:
The Guess Who.
Burton Cummings.
Randy Bachman.
And one of rock’s instantly recognizable riffs:
“American Woman.”
The song became a massive success, reaching No. 1 in the United States in 1970.
The irony still makes us smile:
A Canadian band went to No. 1 in America with a song called “American Woman.”
Only in rock & roll. 😂
And don’t overlook the rest of that catalog:
“These Eyes.”
“No Time.”
“Laughing.”
“Share the Land.”
“Undun.”
The Guess Who left behind considerably more than one famous riff.
Woodstock ’94 Gets Muddy 🤘
Fast-forward to August 13, 1994 and the first full day of music at Woodstock ’94, staged 25 years after the original Woodstock.
The festival brought together artists from several generations and styles of music, with performers across the weekend including Aerosmith, Metallica, Nine Inch Nails, Santana, Joe Cocker and many others.
But Mother Nature apparently purchased a ticket too.
Heavy rain transformed large portions of the grounds into an enormous mud pit, and the event soon became known by another name:
“Mudstock.”
By the time the weekend was underway, musicians and fans alike were dealing with rain, mud and the kind of beautiful chaos that only a massive outdoor rock festival seems capable of producing.
CLASSICKONG WEATHER CENTER 🌧️
Forecast:
100% chance of mud.
Heavy guitars developing by afternoon.
Scattered mosh pits.
Possible flying clumps of earth.
White WTSG-DB KONG CREW shirts are NOT recommended. 😂
CLASSICKONG’s Music Trivia 🎙️
Today’s question:
Which Southern-rock guitarist was born on August 13, 1952, became famous as a founding member of The Outlaws, and later joined Lynyrd Skynyrd?
Think about it…
No Googling from the back row. 😂
From the Desk of CLASSICKONG ❤️
Some days on the musical calendar are about statistics.
This one feels different.
Today we’ve got a white bird spreading its wings in “Free Bird.”
We’ve got Hughie Thomasson’s guitars roaring through “Green Grass & High Tides.”
We’ve got Don Henley airing the “Dirty Laundry” while our Main Man Steve Lukather lends a hand.
We’ve got the horns of Chicago.
We’ve got Big Mama Thornton standing at the beginning of a rock & roll standard.
But I keep coming back to Dan Fogelberg.
Maybe it’s because music has a way of connecting us with people who aren’t sitting beside us anymore.
A melody begins…
and suddenly you’re somewhere else.
You’re younger.
The room looks different.
Someone you love is there again.
That’s what a song like “Leader of the Band” can do for me when I think about my Dad.
And maybe that’s one reason we do this every day at WTSG-DB.
We’re not merely remembering records.
We’re remembering pieces of our lives.
A great song doesn’t know how old you are.
It doesn’t care how many years have passed.
You drop the needle…
and for three or four minutes,
everybody comes home.
Until tomorrow, keep the music playing, take care of one another, and never forget the songs that helped make you who you are.
This is CLASSICKONG at WTSG-DB.
Great Music. Great Radio. Great Community.
❤️🤘🎙️🇺🇸
Trivia Answer 🎯
Hughie Thomasson — founding member of The Outlaws and later guitarist for Lynyrd Skynyrd.
If you got it right, congratulations.
You may proceed directly to the CLASSICKONG record vault.
Keep your hands off my Skynyrd albums. 😂
Listen to Today’s Broadcast 🎧
Sit back, relax, and enjoy today’s story in audio form with CLASSICKONG.
