May he rest in peace.

I think we all can feel just like his closing line of the show, “as always in parting, we wish you love, peace and soul!”

During the last days of 1971 and into 1972 everyone was listening to and trying to determine what the lyrics meant in Don McLean’s American Pie. Other than alluding to the deaths of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Richie Valens on February 3, 1959, a day many have called the ‘Day the Music Died’ there could be many different meanings to parts of the song. McLean has said that he wrote it to be vague. And vague it is, but a very enjoyable vague that brings back memories to anyone who grew up during the 1960′s,

The single was released in November of 1971. Originally it was released as a edited version of the 8+ minutes song, then it was decided to split the songs into 2 parts. Many radio stations did play the entire song in an era when songs usually lasted 3 1/2 minutes. It quickly went to Number 1 reaching the top spot shortly after the New Year on January 15, spending 4 weeks there.

January 15, 22, 29 & February 5 – “American Pie”; Don McLean

February 12 – “Let’s Stay Together”; Al Green

February 19 & 26, March 4, 11 – “Without You”; Nilsson

March 18 – “Heart of Gold”; Neil Young

March 25, April 1 & 8 – “A Horse With No Name”; America

April 15, 22, 29, & May 6, 13, 20 – “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”; Roberta Flack

May 27 – “Oh Girl”; The Chi-Lites

June 3 – “I’ll Take You There”; The Staple Singers

June 10, 17, 24 – “The Candy Man”; Sammy Davis Jr.

July 1 – “Song Sung Blue”; Neil Diamond

July 8, 15, & 22 – “Lean on Me”; Bill Withers

July 29, August 5, 12, & 19 – “Alone Again (Naturally)”;Gilbert O’Sullivan

August 26 – “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)”; Looking Glass

September 2 & 9 – “Alone Again (Naturally)”; Gilbert O’Sullivan

September 16 – “Black and White”; Three Dog Night

September 23, 30 & October 7 – “Baby, Don’t Get Hooked on Me”; Mac Davis

October 14 – “Ben”; Michael Jackson

October 21 & 2 – “My Ding-a-Ling”; Chuck Berry

November 4, 11, 18, & 25 – “I Can See Clearly Now”; Johnny Nash

December 2 – “Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone”; The Temptations

December 9 – “I Am Woman”; Helen Reddy

December 16, 23 & 30 – “Me and Mrs. Jones”; Billy Paul

Nick Ashford has pass away after a battling throat cancer. He was 70.

The songwriting team of Ashford and Simpson are Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. They meet in 1963 and recorded as a duo before writing songs together. In 1966 shortly before joining Motown Records they had their first chart song, “Let’s Go Get Stoned” by Ray Charles.

It was at Motown that many of their most known songs were recorded, including “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” and many others.

In 1974 the two were married and shortly afterwards recorded a string of hits, although their most popular “Solid” wasn’t recorded until 1984.

They are one of the biggest composers of the soundtrack of the 1970s and their songs will be long remembered.

Thank You Nick Ashford and my you rest in peace.

In 1976 dance music, Disco music, was moving toward big popularity. Memphis Disc Jockey Rick Dees came up with a crazy parody on the craze featuring the Disco Duck.

Dees has said that the song was completed in a day, but took months until someone would join with him to record it. It was a minor hit in the south east by Fretone it was a national and international release by RSO Records, The song reached the top spot and remained a Top 10 hit for over 2 months in the fall of 1976.

Although the voice of Disco Duck sounds similar to Disney’s Donald Duck it was not recorded as sometimes noted by the voice of Donald, Clarence Nash. It was done by Ken Pruitt.

The song may have been a hit, but Dees didn’t quit his day job as a Memphis DJ. And he still is a DJ today although not in memphis, but in LA. He was in KIIS-AM/FM until relplaced by Ryan Seacrest in 2004 and is currently heard on KHHT, “Hot 92.3″.

The song was rarely played on the radio stations of Memphis. Dees station forbid him to play it or to even mention the song on his program. Other stations in Memphis refused to play it since it could have been seen as promoting the competition.

Peter Pan Records, the children record company, began in 1977 releasing a series of records using Irwin the Disco Duck as the DJ introducing The Wibble Wabble Singers and Orchestra version’s of popular songs. After the Disco Era ended Irwin was renamed Irwin the Dynamic Duck.

It was the summer of 1976 and Elton john recorded this duet with Kiki Dee. This version is him singing it alone in one of his concerts during the same time period. While Elton John had enjoyed quite a few number ones in the US, and this one reach it as well, this song was his first Number one in the UK.

In early January of 1971 songwriter Carole King recorded her 2nd solo album as a singer.  When Tapestry was release a few months later, no one knew nor imagine how popular the album would become.

It was the biggest Album of 1971 remaining at the Number 1 spot for 15 weeks and on the Album Charts for over 6 years.

This is the Album’s title song.

All of the songs on the Album were written or co-written by King including a couple of songs that she had written with her ex-husband Gerry Goffin and  had been huge hits by others in the 1960s.

The Album would win the Grammy for Album of the Year.  It’s Too Late would win Record of the Year and the song You’ve Got a Friend a song on the album and also recorded by her friend James Taylor would be Song of the Year.  Taylor sang backup on her version.

Not sure when this version was recorded.

With Carole King, the song’s composer backing him on piano.

This is James Taylor’s only number 1 on the Billboard charts reaching the top spot on July 31, 1971.

The album Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon, the album where this song first appeared, peaked at the Number 2 spot on the albums charts. It was prevented from reaching Number 1 because Carole Kings’s Tapestry held the top spot. King’s album included her version of her song.

The song received two Grammy Awards. James Taylor won Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male for the song. It also won Best Song of the Year. Carole King was one of the few, if not the only, person to be involved in the winning of all five of the Grammy top awards. Along with these two she also won Record of the Year for It’s Too Late. Album of the Year for Tapestry as well as Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female.

I just Want to Celebrate by Rare Earth was a hit during the summer of 1971. It peaked at Number 7 and is now considered one of the most popular song from the 70s.

It has appeared in number of movie sound tracks as well TV Commercials.

Rare Earth was not only the name of the group, but it was also the name of the song’s record label. A subsidiary of Motown Records.

When I first heard the song in the summer of 1971, I was but a 12 year old boy, although I would turn 13 at the end of summer. I recall listening to the song sitting under a shade tree at my Grandparents. I knew of Rare Earth and had heard a couple of their previous hits, most notably Get Ready. For some reason I first thought that it was a old song not a new one.

It was one of my favorite songs that summer and remains a favorite.

The early ’70′s had some great instrumentals and one of the best came out in 1973 with the Edgar Winter Group and Frankenstein. Here is a nearly 9 minute live version of the song that may even be better than the album cut from They Only Come Out at Night.

Now you can hear a very short clip of it on the ATT commercial. Sit back and enjoy it in its entirety.

As you can see Edgar Winter has a strap over his neck to hold his keyboard similar to holding a guitar. He was the first to do this. His reason was that by sitting behind the keyboard he wasn’t able to interact with the audience like those on guitar.

The album version of the song was timed at 4:44. When released as a single it only had a running time of 3:28. In concert it wasn’t uncommon for them to jam for nearly 10 minutes or more.

Why the name Frankenstein? That comes from the fact that it’s actually a song that was pieced together from a number of different ‘jams’, just like Frankenstein’s monster was pieced together from parts from multiple bodies.

The song was on the charts in the spring of 1973 reaching the top spot in May. It didn’t do quite as well in the UK peaking at Number 18.