From the Desk of CLASSICKONG
Welcome back, music lovers, as we turn another page on the calendar and take another trip through the records, artists and moments that built the soundtrack of our lives.
Before we spin the first record, WTSG-DB proudly sends our thanks to the men and women of the United States Armed Forces—past and present—and to the families who stand beside them. Your service and sacrifice are never forgotten.
That salute carries a little extra meaning today because September 29 is National VFW Day, recognizing the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the generations of veterans who have served this country.
And then there’s another observance that CLASSICKONG takes very seriously:
National Coffee Day!
Oh yeah.
Around here, coffee isn’t a beverage. Some mornings it’s life support.
So grab yourself a cup, turn up the radio and settle in, because September 29 gives us Buddy Holly recording on an Air Force base, Shakespeare sneaking onto a Beatles record, Grand Funk Railroad going to No. 1 on Mark Farner’s birthday, Rush taking the stage, Prince ruling an unbelievable 1984 chart, Chicago facing life without Peter Cetera, two monster rock albums arriving on the same day, and one heck of a birthday party.
Let’s spin it.
1957 — Buddy Holly Records at Tinker Air Force Base
Here’s one of those stories that seems tailor-made for today.
On September 29, 1957, Buddy Holly and the Crickets recorded at the Officers Club Lounge at Tinker Air Force Base near Oklahoma City.
The session produced recordings including “Maybe Baby,” “You’ve Got Love” and “An Empty Cup (and a Broken Date).”
The lineup included Buddy Holly on guitar and vocals, Niki Sullivan on guitar, Joe B. Mauldin on bass and Jerry Allison on drums.
And here’s another connection: “You’ve Got Love” was written by Roy Orbison, Norman Petty and Johnny Wilson.
So on National VFW Day, after saluting our men and women in uniform, we find one of rock & roll’s founding figures making music inside an Air Force officers club.
You couldn’t plan that connection any better.
Record Notes: The Crickets — “Maybe Baby,” “You’ve Got Love” and “An Empty Cup (and a Broken Date),” later included on The “Chirping” Crickets (1957, Brunswick Records).
1967 — The Beatles, Shakespeare and “I Am the Walrus”
We’ve talked about “I Am the Walrus” before, but this particular piece of the story deserves its own spotlight.
On September 29, 1967, the Beatles were at EMI Studios working on the song’s mono mixes.
A live radio feed was brought into the mix.
The radio landed on the BBC Third Programme, which happened to be broadcasting William Shakespeare’s King Lear.
And that’s what wound up in the record.
Parts of Act IV, Scene 6 became embedded in “I Am the Walrus.”
Think about that for a second.
One of the strangest moments on one of the Beatles’ strangest records exists partly because a radio landed on Shakespeare at exactly the right moment.
John Lennon later recalled that he didn’t even realize it was King Lear until years afterward.
Record Notes: The Beatles — “I Am the Walrus,” Magical Mystery Tour (1967, Capitol Records in the U.S.; originally issued in Britain on Parlophone).
Professor CLASSICKONG approves.
We’ll be hearing from Shakespeare again before we’re finished.
1973 — Grand Funk Railroad Is an American Band
Now we’re talking.
On September 29, 1973, Grand Funk Railroad’s “We’re an American Band” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Written and sung by drummer Don Brewer and produced by Todd Rundgren, the song became Grand Funk’s first No. 1 single.
But here’s the part I love:
Mark Farner was born September 29, 1948.
That means Grand Funk reached No. 1 with “We’re an American Band” on Farner’s 25th birthday.
That’s a pretty good birthday present.
And I’ve got a Grand Funk story of my own.
Years ago, I went to see ZZ Top here in Evansville, Indiana, and Grand Funk was supposed to be the opening act.
Unfortunately, we had some absolutely brutal winter weather. Grand Funk got snowed in and couldn’t make it to Evansville.
So when I hear:
“We’re coming to your town…”
I have to laugh.
They tried!
Mother Nature just wasn’t going to let them help Evansville party down that night.
No hard feelings, fellas. Grand Funk ROCKS.
Record Notes: Grand Funk — “We’re an American Band,” We’re an American Band (1973, Capitol Records), produced by Todd Rundgren.
1976 — Rush: All the World’s a Stage
Remember when I told you Professor CLASSICKONG would be returning?
Class is back in session.
In September 1976, Rush released its first live album, All the World’s a Stage, on Mercury Records.
Recorded over three nights—June 11 through June 13—at Toronto’s legendary Massey Hall during the 2112 tour, the double album captured roughly 90 minutes of Rush doing what Rush did best:
Playing.
And playing incredibly well.
The set reached back through the band’s first four studio albums—Rush, Fly by Night, Caress of Steel and 2112—with performances including “Bastille Day,” “Anthem,” “Fly by Night,” “Working Man” and a substantial portion of “2112.”
And yes, that title points us right back toward Shakespeare.
“All the world’s a stage…”
The line comes from As You Like It.
So September 29 gives us a nice Shakespeare connection: King Lear sneaking into a Beatles record, followed by the famous Shakespearean phrase that became the title of a Rush live album.
Somewhere, Neil Peart is probably smiling.
CLASSICKONG Must Have: Rush — All the World’s a Stage (1976, Mercury Records).
1984 — Turn on the Radio
On September 29, 1984, Prince and the Revolution sat at No. 1 with “Let’s Go Crazy,” from Purple Rain.
But simply saying Prince was No. 1 doesn’t capture what was happening.
Look at the neighborhood.
John Waite had “Missing You.”
The Cars had “Drive.”
Cyndi Lauper had “She Bop.”
Stevie Wonder had “I Just Called to Say I Love You.”
Tina Turner had “What’s Love Got to Do with It.”
Scandal featuring Patty Smyth had “The Warrior.”
Sheila E. had “The Glamorous Life.”
Bananarama had “Cruel Summer.”
And Bruce Springsteen was there with “Cover Me.”
Good grief.
For those of us who lived through it, that’s not merely a chart.
That’s what turning on the radio sounded like in 1984.
What a time for music.
Record Notes: Prince and the Revolution — “Let’s Go Crazy,” Purple Rain (1984, Warner Bros. Records).
1986 — Can Chicago Still Be Chicago?
On September 29, 1986, Chicago released Chicago 18 on Full Moon/Warner Bros., produced by David Foster.
And the band was facing a pretty serious question.
It was the first Chicago album without Peter Cetera.
Cetera had become one of the band’s defining voices, particularly during Chicago’s huge early-’80s resurgence.
Now Jason Scheff was stepping into the lineup.
Could an established team lose one of its most recognizable frontmen and keep going?
Funny enough, that’s a question Chicago sports fans understand right now too.
By the time you’re reading this, we’ll already know how the Chicago Bears handled their own game without regular starting quarterback Caleb Williams.
Different arena. Same basic question.
What happens when the familiar guy up front isn’t there?
For Chicago the band, the answer was to move forward.
Chicago 18 produced “Will You Still Love Me?”, which became a major hit, and the new lineup even revisited the classic “25 or 6 to 4.”
They weren’t pretending Peter Cetera had never existed.
They were figuring out what Chicago would sound like next.
CLASSICKONG Must Have: Chicago — Chicago 18 (1986, Full Moon/Warner Bros.).
1992 — One Day, Two Rock Monsters
September 29, 1992.
If you walked into a record store that Tuesday, you had some decisions to make.
Alice in Chains released Dirt on Columbia Records.
Stone Temple Pilots released their debut album Core on Atlantic Records.
Same day.
Two records that became defining albums of early-’90s rock.
Alice in Chains brought “Them Bones,” “Down in a Hole,” “Rooster,” “Angry Chair” and “Would?”
Stone Temple Pilots answered with “Sex Type Thing,” “Wicked Garden,” “Creep” and “Plush.”
That’s some serious rock firepower landing on the shelves at once.
CLASSICKONG Must Haves: Alice in Chains — Dirt (1992, Columbia Records). Stone Temple Pilots — Core (1992, Atlantic Records).
1997 — The Rolling Stones Build Bridges to Babylon
On September 29, 1997, the Rolling Stones released Bridges to Babylon on Virgin Records.
I own this one.
I love this one.
And look whose name turns up again:
Don Was.
My man!
Was was part of a diverse production team that also involved the Glimmer Twins, the Dust Brothers, Rob Fraboni and others.
The album gave us “Anybody Seen My Baby?”, “Saint of Me” and “Out of Control.”
It was the Stones doing what great long-running bands have to do: remain recognizably themselves while still being willing to experiment with contemporary sounds and producers.
And with Don Was involved?
You already know I’m listening.
CLASSICKONG Must Have: The Rolling Stones — Bridges to Babylon (1997, Virgin Records).
September 29 Birthday Table
Pull up some chairs, because this is one heck of a birthday table.
Jerry Lee Lewis — September 29, 1935 – October 28, 2022
The Killer.
Jerry Lee Lewis was born September 29, 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana, and we sadly lost him on October 28, 2022, at the age of 87.
He attacked a piano like somebody had personally insulted his family.
“Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” and “Great Balls of Fire” helped establish him as one of early rock & roll’s most explosive performers.
But Jerry Lee was much more than a rock & roll wild man.
He was also one hell of a country singer.
Jerry Lee Lewis was an original.
There will never be another Killer.
RIP, Jerry Lee Lewis.
CLASSICKONG Must Have: Jerry Lee Lewis — Original Golden Hits, Vol. 1 (1969, Sun Records), or a strong collection of his essential Sun recordings.
Jean-Luc Ponty — Born 1942
Now here’s one of my guys.
Jean-Luc Ponty was born September 29, 1942, in Avranches, France, into a family of classical musicians. His father taught violin and his mother taught piano.
Ponty went on to become one of the musicians who proved that the violin could stand right in the middle of jazz-rock fusion and sound completely at home.
His work with Frank Zappa, the Mahavishnu Orchestra and throughout his remarkable solo career pushed the electric violin into places few musicians had taken it.
But there’s one Jean-Luc Ponty album that’s especially important to me.
A Taste for Passion.
I discovered that album on cassette while I was serving overseas, and buddy, I wore that tape OUT.
To this day, I consider A Taste for Passion one of the most amazing albums I’ve ever heard.
Released in 1979 on Atlantic Records, it includes “Stay with Me,” “Sunset Drive,” “Dreamy Eyes,” “Beach Girl,” “Life Cycles” and the title track.
That album takes me somewhere every time I hear it.
CLASSICKONG Must Haves: Jean-Luc Ponty — A Taste for Passion (1979, Atlantic Records), Enigmatic Ocean (1977, Atlantic Records), Cosmic Messenger (1978, Atlantic Records), Imaginary Voyage (1976, Atlantic Records), Mystical Adventures (1982, Atlantic Records) and Individual Choice (1983, Atlantic Records).
Mike Post — Born 1944
LEGEND.
Mike Post was born September 29, 1944, and if you grew up watching American television in the ’70s and ’80s like I did, there’s an excellent chance Mike Post wrote part of the soundtrack of your life.
The Rockford Files.
Hill Street Blues.
Magnum, P.I.
The A-Team.
L.A. Law.
The Greatest American Hero.
Quantum Leap.
NYPD Blue.
Law & Order.
The Television Academy credits Post with music for roughly 7,000 hours of television.
Seven thousand!
And here’s something you might not know:
We actually play Mike Post’s television themes right here on WTSG-DB.
Because those themes are real records and real pieces of music.
Sometimes four or five notes are all it takes to transport you back to another time and place.
That’s the power of a great musical hook.
And speaking of television music, I can’t talk about those years without remembering shows like Solid Gold, eventually hosted for five years by the beautiful and incredibly talented Marilyn McCoo.
Marilyn and Billy Davis Jr. gave us “You Don’t Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show)” from I Hope We Get to Love in Time (1976, ABC Records).
What a voice.
What an era.
Mark Farner — Born 1948
We already gave Mark his birthday present earlier.
Born September 29, 1948, Farner became the unmistakable voice and guitar presence at the heart of classic Grand Funk Railroad.
And on his 25th birthday?
“We’re an American Band” was No. 1.
Beat that birthday cake.
Les Claypool — Born 1963
Then there’s Les.
Les Claypool was born September 29, 1963, and there simply aren’t many bass players who sound remotely like him.
My doorway into Primus was “Jerry Was a Race Car Driver” from Sailing the Seas of Cheese (1991, Interscope Records).
The music was strange.
The video was strange.
Les was strange.
And I couldn’t turn away.
If somebody wants a demonstration of just how ridiculously good Les Claypool can be on bass, however, here’s my suggestion:
Put on “Tommy the Cat.”
Then just listen.
Good grief.
Claypool goes OFF.
And yes, there’s the famous story about Les auditioning for Metallica following Cliff Burton’s death.
Personally, I’ve never been completely convinced Les truly wanted to become Metallica’s bass player anyway.
Maybe he did.
Maybe there was a little Claypool mischief involved.
Either way, things worked out exactly as they should have.
Metallica found its path.
And Les Claypool was free to remain Les Claypool.
Sometimes not getting a particular gig simply means you’re standing on the wrong stage.
Professor CLASSICKONG strikes again.
CLASSICKONG Must Have: Primus — Sailing the Seas of Cheese (1991, Interscope Records).
Remembering Mickey Newbury
Songwriter Mickey Newbury died September 29, 2002.
His songs were recorded by an extraordinary list of artists, including Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Kenny Rogers and many others.
But there’s another reason Mickey belongs in today’s story.
In 1959, Newbury joined the United States Air Force.
He served for three years as an air traffic controller, spending much of that time in England, before returning home and eventually finding his way into songwriting.
So think about how September 29 has come full circle.
We began with National VFW Day.
Then Buddy Holly and the Crickets made music at Tinker Air Force Base.
And now we remember a great American songwriter who himself served in the United States Air Force.
Sometimes these connections find us.
September 29, 2020 — Mac Davis and Helen Reddy
This is a strange and particularly sad coincidence.
On September 29, 2020, we lost Mac Davis.
He was 78.
That same day, we lost Helen Reddy.
She was also 78.
Two enormously familiar voices from the same era, gone on the same date at the same age.
Mac Davis brings back some wonderful memories for me.
My parents were musicians, so music wasn’t merely something playing on the radio when I was growing up.
It was part of the house.
And television shows built around music were staples.
The Mac Davis Show.
The Porter Wagoner Show.
The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour.
Later, shows like Solid Gold carried that tradition forward.
One thing I particularly remember about Mac was his ability to make up songs on the spot.
An audience member might give him a thought, an emotion or a title, and Mac would sit there and turn it into a song.
Right then.
Sometimes it was hilarious.
And all these years later, that memory checks out: the improvisational audience-song segment really was one of the signatures of The Mac Davis Show.
That’s talent.
Mac wasn’t merely a guy who could sing somebody else’s song.
He understood how songs were built.
And Helen Reddy?
What a voice.
Of all her records, one has always hit me particularly hard:
“You and Me Against the World.”
Written by Paul Williams—there’s that name again!—and Kenny Ascher, Helen recorded it for Love Song for Jeffrey (1974, Capitol Records).
Helen heard the song differently from a conventional romantic ballad.
She interpreted it as the bond between a mother and child, even having her young daughter Traci speak at the beginning and end of the recording.
That decision changed the emotional center of the entire song.
And there’s one thought in that record that stays with me:
“Remembering will have to do.”
Man.
That’ll hit you harder than an Ox Baker Heart Punch.
Final Spin
Maybe that’s what today’s trip through music history has really been about.
Remembering.
A Buddy Holly recording can take us back to the earliest days of rock & roll.
A few notes from Mike Post can suddenly put us back in front of a television set we haven’t seen in forty years.
Grand Funk can take me back to a snowy Evansville night when I was supposed to see them with ZZ Top—even though Mother Nature had other plans.
Mac Davis can put me back in my parents’ house, watching a man turn an audience suggestion into a song.
And Helen Reddy can remind us that sometimes the people, places and moments we loved aren’t available for another visit.
Sometimes “remembering will have to do.”
But that’s one of music’s greatest gifts.
Put on the right record and, for three or four minutes, yesterday doesn’t feel quite so far away.
And maybe Shakespeare had it right after all.
All the world’s a stage, my friends.
We don’t control how long we’re given on it.
But we do get some say in what we leave behind when the curtain eventually comes down.
So make your time on it count.
Until tomorrow, take care of yourself, take care of others, and keep the music playing. We’ll see ya down the road.
—CLASSICKONG
Listen to Today’s Broadcast/Podcast
Want to hear these stories instead of reading them?
Join CLASSICKONG for today’s WTSG-DB This Day in Music History broadcast and podcast as we bring September 29 to life with the stories, records and memories behind the music.
Turn it up, settle in and enjoy the ride.
References
Buddy Holly — Tinker Air Force Base session documentation
The Beatles Bible — September 29, 1967: “I Am the Walrus” and King Lear
Rush — All the World’s a Stage
Chicago — Chicago 18 official album history
Television Academy — Mike Post biography
Country Music Hall of Fame — Jerry Lee Lewis
Mac Davis — The Mac Davis Show improvisational song segment
Mickey Newbury — Official biography and Air Force history
Helen Reddy — “You and Me Against the World” song history
