We're all about the history of rock & roll at BoomtownAmerica.com!

Every week, we present “ROCK REMEMBERED,” a deep dive into the hidden history of rock & roll, the stories behind the artists and songs that changed the world. Join host “Boomtown Bill” Cross each Wednesday at 7 pm (Eastern) with an encore broadcast on Saturday at noon (Eastern).

Jjoin us this Saturday as we honor the life & music of one of Rock's most underrated pioneers, "The Ricky Nelson Story!"

Mousketeer Roll Call: Karen Pendleton

While some of us watched The Mickey Mouse Club and focused on Annette, many of us who were a little younger paid attention to the youngest Mousketeers, Karen & Cubbie. Cubbie O’Brien grew up to become an accomplished professional drummer, but whatever happened to Karen Pendleton?

Hers is a bittersweet story. Karen did not continue in show business after the Mouse Club show wound down. Instead, she finished school, married lawyer Mike DeLaurer in 1970 and had a daughter in 1973.

Then, her life took a downward turn. First, she was in a bad car accident in 1983 that left her paralyzed from the waist down. For a woman who had a passion for dancing, it was a devastating turn of events. That was followed by a divorce in 1985.

Instead of retreating from life, Karen made a decision to push forward. She went back to college, completed her Bachelor's degree in psychology and then went on to earn her Master’s degree, one of only two Mousketeers to earn a postgraduate degree.

She went into counseling for women, working at women’s shelters and holding classes on single parenting.

Karen also appeared in many of the frequent Mousketeer reunion events sponsored by Disney and in 2014 she was given a Disney Legend award. Sadly, she passed away in 2019 at the age of 73.

A Whopper? A Big Mac? How about that hairdo?

“Shout” by the Isley Brothers was already a classic when the movie Animal House launched it into a kind of musical immortality few songs ever achieve. It might surprise you to know that “Shout” was never really intended to be a song at all.

Like a lot of R&B acts at that time, the Isleys were hugely influenced by Jackie Wilson, who was pioneering an energetic style of performing that was electrifying audiences. In 1959, the Isleys were closing their shows with their version of Wilson’s “Lonely Teardrops,” a song that had been a hit just a year before. The Isley Brothers were booked into the Uptown Theater in Philadelphia as part of a soul revue, with 15 other acts. The group’s lively rendition of “Lonely Teardrops” landed them the coveted spot closing the bill.

One night during the run of this engagement, the audience got particularly excited, leaving their seats and dancing in the aisle. Lead singer, Ronald Isley began improvising lyrics to keep the song going. One of those ad-libs was “You make me wanna shout!” The band responded with “Shout!,” so he repeated the line. Now, the crowd joined in with “Shout!”

The brothers continued to perform the song this way for the rest of their engagement. When they next entered the recording studio, they discussed recording the song with their producers, Hugo & Luigi. It was the producers who suggested they drop “Lonely Teardrops” and just concentrate on the “Shout” portion.

When they were finished, the Isley Brothers had a song that was too long for just one side of single. So, they cut it in two and released “Shout Part 1” and “Shout Part 2” as a single. And from that time until today, they still close every live show with “Shout.”

If your last experience with marijuana was in a dorm room with a towel stuffed under the door back in the 1970s. You’re probably aware that a lot has changed!

Currently, one of the elements in marijuana, CBD (short for cannabidiol) is being touted as a treatment for arthritis, stress, PTSD and more!

Here’s what you need to know:

1.) You won’t get high from CBD. The element in weed (or grass, as Boomers used to call it) that gets you high is THC. The CDB products being sold over the counter (and over the internet) contain less than 0.03% THC. That’s so the products can remain legal in states that have not yet legalized marijuana (for medicinal or recreational purposes).

2.) Yes, there is SOME evidence that CBD is effective as an anti-inflammatory. This would mean that it does offer some relief to people with arthritis or other chronic muscle pain (bursitis, etc.). It also appears to have a positive effect on skin conditions such as  eczema and psoriasis. Researchers caution that testing is still in the early stages and it is still too soon to draw any sweeping conclusions.

3.) The world of CBD products is still “the Wild West.” There is no regulatory body that has established clear guidelines for the manufacture of such products, so it’s still “buyer beware.” Do your research before making any purchases.

4.) As always with anything related to your health, consult your doctor before you start using any CBD-infused products.

How about that? Maybe Cheech & Chong knew something we didn’t!