Much is made about “the day the music died,” commemorating the day that Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper perished in a single plane crash. 
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).
Join us this Saturday as we explore the fascinating stories behind some of Rock's greatest "One-Hit Wonders!"
Mousketeer Roll Call: Darlene Gillespie
The story of Darlene Gillespie is not one that would lend itself to a Disney movie.
She was the daughter of a Canadian song and dance team. In 1943, her parents relocated to the Los Angeles area when Darlene was just two and began grooming her for a career in show business. By 1955, she was already an accomplished singer and dancer. She passed her audition for The Mickey Mouse Club and became one of the core cast members who stayed with the show during its entire first run.
What we at home never knew is that she was involved in an intense backstage rivalry with Annette Funicello. Dueling sets of stage parents put their friends and relatives up to flooding the Disney studio with fan mail for each of the respective girls. While Darlene did get to star in one of the Mousketeer serials (“Corky & White Shadow”) and play a major part in the second “Spin & Marty” serial, as the show progressed (along with Annette’s bustline), it became obvious who was the top Mousketeer.
Gillespie did cut a couple of albums for Disney, just like Funicello, but they didn’t receive the push from Disney’s marketing arm that Annette got.
When The Mouse Club ceased production, Disney kept Annette under contract, but Darlene had to go her own way. Her acting career quickly fizzled. Over the years, she made a few stabs at re-launching a singing career, but nothing really came of those.
Darlene worked for many years as a nurse and, in fact, greatly assisted her fellow Mousketeer Karen Pendleton when Karen had the car accident that left her paralyzed from the waist down.
Sadly, her last bit of notoriety came in 1998 when she was arrested in a securities fraud scheme that she cooked up with her husband. Darlene was sentenced to two years in prison, but wound up only doing 3 months. In 2005, she and her husband were back in court on charges of fraud. Those charges were eventually dropped. The husband who landed her in the slammer passed away in 2008.
Darlene is still with us, living in relative anonymity having finally reached a financial settlement with the Disney Company after a years-long battle over royalties she claimed she was owed for her work on that TV show. Sadly, that protracted legal battle led to an estrangement with the rest of the surviving Mousketeers.
When Coca-Cola came out of this?
Never could figure oit what went on in the big box.
While their first album, Fresh Cream, delighted critics and the select few who were in rock’s then-vanguard, it was Cream’s second album, Disraeli Gears, that really propelled them to worldwide fame. Backed by the powerhouse single, “Sunshine of Your Love,” the album reached the Top 10 in the band’s native UK, the US, Australia, Finland and other countries. It sold so well that Cashbox magazine named it the top-selling LP of 1968.
It didn’t hurt that the psychedelic artwork and hot day-glo pink cover caught record-buyers’ eyes rather easily in those days.
The album was recorded in the US After the band had wrapped up their first American tour. They used Felix Pappalardi, who also contributed two songs he had written with his wife: “Strange Brew” and “World of Pain.” Atlantic Records president, Ahmet Ertegun was also in attendance for the sessions which took a mere three days! There’s a reason the band laid down those tracks so quickly. Their U.S. visas expired the same day they wrapped up production.
Besides the hit single, “Strange Brew,” “Tales of Brave Ulysses,” “SWLABR” (which co-composer & band member Jack Bruce says stands for “She Was Like a Bearded Rainbow”) and most of the other tracks got significant airplay on the then-emerging FM ‘underground’ rock stations that were springing up in America’s major radio markets.
If you’ve always wondered what the title meant, drummer Ginger Baker says it came from one of their roadies who was talking about buying a racing bike and totally mangled the phrase for a part of the bike: derailleur gears in front of Baker and fellow band member Eric Clapton. The two thought it was hilarious and that’s how it became the name of one of rock’s greatest albums. In 1999, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
If you’re jogging for the health benefits, you may want to slow down just a bit.
According to a recent study, walking at a brisk pace provides just as much benefit as running when it comes to lowering blood pressure and cholesterol!