We're all about the history of rock & roll at BoomtownAmerica.com!
Every week, we present “ROCK REMEMBERED,” where we take 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 Wednesday as we continue our countdown of "The Top Ten Albums of the 1960s - Part 2!"
Three Dog Night was a unique concept in the rock world—a band with 3 lead singers. Corey Wells left us in 2015. Chuck Negron passed away this week (February 2nd).
Three Dog Night formed in 1968 and scored 2 hit singles with their very first album: "Try a Little Tenderness" and "One." From there, they put together an amazing string of 21 consecutive singles that all landed in Billboard's Top 40. That included 3 number ones, one of which went on to become the #1 song of 1971 ("Joy to the World"). The strain of constant touring and the rock & roll lifestyle brought their career to a screeching halt in 1976. The group reformed in 1981, but by then, they were already a nostalgia act.
Negron's serious drug addiction led him to be dropped from the band in 1985. Negron eventually found recovery, but was unable to mend fences with Wells and the other "Dog," Danny Hutton. Negron continued to perform as a solo singer while Hutton continues to perform under the Three Dog Night name.
For reasons that escape anyone with a knowledge of popular music, Three Dog Night has yet to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Hopefully, this will be corrected soon.
The rise and fall of Three Dog Night will be the subject of an upcoming episode of "Rock Remembered here at Boomtown America.
The notion that we get more forgetful as we age is a cliché. Sadly, most clichés contain an element of truth. What can you do to give your memory a boost?
Physical activity – Like you’ve been hearing forever, exercise is good for you. Experts recommend dozens of small ways you can be more active, like picking a parking space farther from the store or taking the stairs instead of the elevator when it’s only a few floors.
Eating right – Foods that can help include fruits, veggies, nuts, fish and olive oil.
Spending time with friends & family – Studies show engaging in group activites can help stimulate brain activity.
Managing your blood pressure – High blood pressure can cause small blood vessels in your brin to rupture. As you might guess, that’s not good for the cells involved with memory.
What doesn’t work?
Surprisingly, researchers can find no benefit to playing “brain games,” consuming Omega-3 fish oil or ginseng.
Fortunately, they do find a brain benefit in listening to music! Yay! That means you should be listening to Boomtown America as much as possible!
The Life & Times of Howdy Doody – Part 4
The puppets on The Howdy Doody Show were fairly easy to control. The flesh and blood actors, not so much. And it was a group of these cast members who almost brought the show to a screeching halt, resulting in the infamous 1953 “Christmas Eve Massacre” as the show was wrapping up its 5th year.
It's time once again to go behind the scenes and discover who was really pulling the strings on It's Howdy Doody Time!
When Baby Boomers reminisce about Howdy Doody, the talk usually focuses on the puppets. But most of the air time on the show was actually devoted to Buffalo Bob and a band of real live characters who shared the stage with the puppets, including Clarabell the clown, Chief Thunderthud, and J. Cornelius Cobb who ran the local general store.
Additionally, Dayton Allen, the voice of Mr. Bluster and Flub-a-Dub, also appeared as a variety of live characters whenever the script demanded it. In the early days, Allen portrayed the wrestler Ugly Sam, Pierre the Chef, cowboy Lanky Lou and explorer Sir Archibald, among others.
Chief Thunderthud was chief of the Ooragnak tribe (spell it backwards). Actor Bill Lecornec made a lasting contribution to pop culture when he voiced Thunderthud’s trademark greeting, “Cowabunga!” The phrase was soon adopted by California surfers, who in turn influenced the creators of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Thanks to the Turtles, the phrase remains current today, although few under the age of 60 realize its true origins. (BTW - Bill was also seen on the show as Oil Well Willie and Doctor Singsong.)
Robert “Nick” Nicholson played the irascible shopkeeper Corny Cobb and other occasional visitors to Doodyville.
But, next to Buffalo Bob, the biggest of the human stars was undoubtedly Clarabell. He never spoke, instead honking one of two horns attached to a box on his waist. One horn was labeled “Yes” and the other “No.” His whole purpose in life seemed to be to squirt seltzer in Buffalo Bob’s face, to the delighted squeals of the Peanut Gallery. (Today, we’d wonder if he had OCD.)
Clarabell was initially portrayed by a young Bob Keeshan. As the show’s popularity skyrocketed, Keeshan received a nice raise, but wanted still more money. NBC disagreed and replaced him with a jazz musician named Lew Anderson, who stayed with the show through the rest of its run. Don’t feel badly for Keeshan. CBS hired him, installed him in the Treasure House and as Captain Kangaroo, his television career lasted far longer than Howdy’s.
Joining Keeshan in his demand for higher salary were puppeteer Rhoda Mann (who operated Howdy), Dayton Allen, and Bill Lecornec. They all retained the same agent and made a united “take it or leave it” demand. Bob Smith and the show’s other producers decided to leave it.
But not before calling the show’s entire cast and crew together on December 23, 1953. Bob Smith told everyone exactly what kind of raise the four had asked for, asked them to correct him if he was wrong (they didn’t), and then announced that the show was accepting their resignations immediately. Word spread quickly through the New York broadcasting community about what came to be known as “The Christmas Eve Massacre.”
While the show was able to find replacements for Keeshan, Mann, and Allen, they simply couldn’t find anyone suitable to replace Lecornec. Not only was he unmistakably Chief Thunderthud, he also provided the distinctive voice of Dilly Dally, Howdy’s best bud. So after a few weeks, Buffalo Bob called up Lecornec, mended fences and brought him back to Doodyville (complete with a nice raise). Lecornec stayed with Howdy Doody for the rest of its run, also serving as the show’s general announcer.
Far and away, the most beloved of the live characters was Princess Summerfall Winterspring, portrayed by the beautiful Judy Tyler. Judy went on to co-star with Elvis Presley in Jailhouse Rock. It looked like she had a great career ahead of her. Sadly, Judy and her husband died in a car accident in 1957 while returning to New York following the completion of the Elvis film.
The show wasn’t destined to last much longer. As television audiences and production values grew increasingly more sophisticated, Howdy Doody was starting to look a little dated. Having had a good long run (nearly 13 years, much of it 5-days-a-week), Howdy was nearing retirement. The final telecast was on September 24, 1960 and NBC gave the cast and crew an entire hour to say goodbye.
Of course, most of us remember the special surprise they had for us on that last show, when Clarabell admitted that he really could talk! As time ran out, the camera dollied in for a close-up on Clarabell. With a tear streaming down his cheek, he spoke for the first and last time as he said, “Goodbye kids!”
But it wasn’t really the end for Buffalo Bob, Clarabell or Howdy. We’ll have more on that in our next installment.
Ah, the days of "hip-swinging, groovy, no hang-ups!"
