The station is owned by Cumulus Media and the broadcast license is held by Cumulus Licensing LLC. I said, 'Well, you've got a choice here. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Sweet Young Uns Most recently they performed earlier this year for a benefit show for ailing former bandmate Keith Brewer, who died in April of cancer. We mostly had a lot of fun., They were especially known for their James Brown-style revue, with Grier wearing a cape much like the Godfather of Soul used while singing Please, Please, Please., The group got a break in 1968 when a Hollywood producer spotted them at the Big BAM show, and wanted to sign them to a recording contract. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. That was one of my first big gigs - the Big BAM shows! I just went to the Coliseum for the music. by Lenore Vickrey If you were a teenager in south-central Alabama in the 1960s, chances are you danced the jerk, flirted with that cute boy, or made out in the corner of the high school gym to the music of a live band of local erstwhile musicians. The WVOK Shower of Stars was a series of concerts sponsored by WVOK-AM at the Birmingham Armory and later at Birmingham's Municipal Auditorium.Program director Dan Brennan organized the shows, which gained national notice.. Concerts. porsche cayman 987 bodykit; efficiencies for rent in riverview, fl. That was a lot of money. The Who played there. Many of the artists told me these were the biggest shows theyd ever done.. It made me feel good in a way, he said. In Brennan's view, that's a satisfying legacy. HOW COME PAUL GODDARD PUSHES HIS GLASSES UP THE BRIDGE OF HIS NOSE? Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. . "I think the story about Buckingham Nicks is pretty interesting. fireworks at the end while playing freebird.??? Rare Earth. But theres not a whole lot of money because theres no place for them to play. The entire show was magic, beginning with The Stranger and of course included many of the unknown Joel early songs. "To go to the concerts was huge. I also went to one free concert on the old Quad (Woods Hall) in the late 60s that featured Linda Ronstadt (backed up by the Eagles). "Times have changed so," said a wistful Peek, the Shower of Stars devotee. Carl Perkins. recent post listing 31 of the greatest shows, according to this story by Madison Underwood, Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. I kept going to at least one show a year through about 1968, he said. It was great! We were waiting at the Holiday Inn, in the bar at the hotel having a beer. "People were going crazy, and you couldn't hear anything because the girls were screaming so loud," Bartoletti says. "Probably the most famous and beloved would be Buckingham Nicks at Boutwell in January of 1975. You can either do that, or you will not have a place to change. Jerry Lee Lewis hristie Lou C. Paul Revere & the Raiders . The Rockin' Rebellions entered the big VOX (sound equipment) sponsored "WVOK Battle of the Bands" contest held at the Boutwell Auditorium in downtown Birmingham on May 20, 1967. . I tried to get us all to dress up as the Fruit of the Loom guys but no one wanted to., For musicians who played together for years, there wont be a need to practice much, if at all. That way I could see the stars and hear the music better. Hes been in a few movies, raced sports cars and been inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. The bands that performed were: The Beach Boys / lou christie / Ian Whitcomb / The Happenings / the hollies / peter and gordon. We enjoyed all the years we spent in radio, said Dan Brennan, who now owns a video production company in Birmingham. His family owned WBAM in Montgomery, and WVOK in Birmingham, both 50,000 watt clear channels stations back in the day. Im content where Im at, said Beavers, except I could lose about 80 pounds.. Rich Thomas Weather. We'd be there from the crack of dawn until midnight. "We started in 1947, and if you think about it, you didn't have very much television in those days," Brennan says in a recent interview. (Photo courtesy of the Brennan family). Kenny Rogers and the First Edition. Anotherbrother, Bill Brennan, was the undisputed chief of the Jacksonville station, and had houses in Montgomery and Jacksonville. We always had the feeling, said Dan Brennan, that it was more than just a job., It was the golden era of rock and roll, said Moody. "Fairgrounds Bham. Think it was 1977," says Craigmo. The other name band on the show was the Allman Brothers, they had just released their first album. In fact, it's safe to say that music shows producedby the Brennans, focusing on rock 'n' roll, Top 40 pop and country, defined the concert experience for an entire generation of fans in those cities. "We had to import parkas, raincoats from Taiwan, so that was our rain insurance," Brennan says, laughing. "Hendrix, Joplin, the Who, Elvis, Dylan all played in Tuscaloosa," said Jeremy Don McCollough. Joplin died on Oct. 4, 1970. Competition was evident between the two bands, Brennan says, as the Beach Boys returned for their splashiest date at the Shower of Stars, and the Stones made theirBirmingham debut on their first U.S. tour. One show in particular stands out. Once solo and once with a band. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. We came along at just the right time.. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Tommy James & the Shondells. The song actually topped the charts on WBAM in Montgomery, AL for a few weeks which gave us introductions to the British Invasion groups coming through Montgomery for the Big BAM shows held at the Coliseum for many years, like The Who, The Hollies, The Blues Magoos, The Kinks, and many more including American groups like The Beach Boys, The . "His 'side' men was the entire Little Feat rhythm section. View the Full Page. That's how we put together our shows. December 3, 1955-As an extra Bonus..here's the advertisement for sister station WBAM, Montgomery, AL, when the very young Elvis Presley appeared. Its effortless., Even after all these years, agreed Jones. at 3126 Jasmine Road, was built in the early 1960s by William J. The Young Rascals. Top (l-r), Keith Brewer, Ed Sanford and Sonny Grier. ", Several readers mentioned Lynyrd Skynyrd as a given, pointing to various concerts throughout the state. Renamed Rock Hull Band in 77 before reclaiming original name in 90. Although he admits to anoccasional pang of longing, looking back on his previouscareer, Brennan is far from retired. I was there both times. ", From bamamaam: "What about the lynyrd skynyrd concert at rickwood field in the '70's.? And the Brennans knew how to put on a show.. We'll have to ask him. "There was a police line for the Beatles to run through, and the stage was built up so people couldn't get to them.". "Lynyrd Skynyrd, after Montrose featuring Sammy Hagar July 4th, 1975 at Rickwood Field," said Bamabadger62. By the time they came to get us we were pretty shozzeled.. One was the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama, which was to host a concert on September 10 th. Dan Brennan, center, backstage at the Shower of Stars with with Paul Revere & the Raiders. Gate Band "The Stranger album had just come out and was only beginning to get some air play. The resulting concerts -- which evolved into a series called the WVOK Shower of Stars in Birmingham, the Big BAM shows in Montgomery and the Big APE Convention in Jacksonville -- became enormously popular with radio listeners. From Denniswingo: "April 1977 was Led Zeppelin.famous because it was so totally over promoted with the K-99 disc jockeys claiming $100 scalped tickets (it was $7.50 ticket price). Despite her young age -- she was 7 that year -- Bartoletti felt another emotion at the Gator Bowl: extreme pride. The most popular group, both Brennan brothers agree, was Hermans Hermits (see sidebar below). As a result, Captain and Tennille declined ABC's offer to do a second season. The Rogues of Montgomery, AL cut one great rock single, "Put You Down" b/w a version of "Stormy Monday Blues". former wcti reporters; winter village montreal; western new england university greek life; 1980 camaro z28 for sale in canada. shimano ep8 630wh battery range "I remember the Rolling Stones came up to me, and they said, 'You don't really expect us to get into the same RV that the Beach Boys are in, do you?' ", All three Brennan brothers were ambitious businessmen who worked as a team. "Little Feat at Boutwell mid 70s. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and the broadcast license is held by Cumulus Licensing LLC. "Two guitars and a stool. I was blown away. Many regulars from the Kove days brought their grown children and will likely do so again. He pulls this at every one of our shows. We'd get hamburgers and bring them back, with someone always holding our place. "Eight Days a Week -- The Touring Years. Instant Help Questions? 1973(?). Keith Richards was almost electrocuted when his guitar grounded on a mic. to see more entries, Posted on November 1, 2011 by bob in Features. Tommy James, of Tommy James and the Shondells, describing his appearance at the WBAM and WVOK Summer Shows in 1966 (from Me, the Mob and the Music). "I'm so old. ", From Eric Pendergrass: "Grateful Dead BJCC April 4,5 1995.". 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. They would buy so many tickets in advance, we didn't have to worry about whether they were going to come or not.". ", From GmanGent: "Alice Cooper Von Braun in 1974's Welcome to my Nightmare Tourone of the most successful tours financially up until that time. A story by Ben Flanagan of AL.com, looking back at concerts at the coliseum, also mentions Joplin. Iron Butterfly. Patsy Cline. The eruption from the crowd was louder than expected but the lights were so blinding, we could not see the audience. Disbanded in 66, reunited 76, returned to active performance 1991. Saw them at the University of Alabama home coming in 1978 as well. It was a clear channel station that covered over 90 counties in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, and could be heard everywhere. Montgomery, Alabama, United States: Apr 15, 2016 keith sweat / Juvenile / Morris Day & The Time / Cherelle: . WBAM-FM/98.9 ("Bama Country 98.9") is a country music formatted radio station that serves the Montgomery Metropolitan Area, broadcasting on the FM band at a frequency of 98.9 MHz and licensed to Montgomery, Alabama. The Brennans often picked up and drove band members to and from the airport and hotels, quite a thrill for Diane Brennan Knapp and Donnie Kay Brennan, daughters of Cyril Brennan and teenagers at the time. The Beatles were paid a fee of $50,000 -- a hefty sum in those days, Brennan says -- and in the thick of the civil rights movement, the band's contract specified that they wouldn't perform for a segregated audience. Their big prize was three VOX . "That was before he became very big. And they accepted it, but we did get the total amount of the gate that came in. J. Frank Wilson, and The Webs. Cyril Brennan, who received a Top Program Director award from Billboard Magazine, is retired and lives in Pike Road. (In 1965, Legion Field could seat more than 68,000 people.) truly historic happening. Brennan estimates that 16,000-17,000 people came to Legion Field for the show, fulfilling the radio station's mission but falling short of blockbuster status. Pitiful (Otis Redding) sound so much better with real horns.. The Beach Boys. All who attended the big September 19th show must present ticket stub at gate between 12 noon and 1PM. I said, 'Cyril, what do you think we ought to do?' WBAM Big Bam Shows Remembered 3,983 views Aug 25, 2013 A real commercial from the 60's with announcer Bill J Moody .Exciting times as a teen.growing up in Montgomery. 3. I think we had at least 15,000-16,000 people there. If possible, the Brennans liked to present the same lineup of artists in all three cities over a single weekend, offering three shows in Birmingham for the Shower of Stars, one in Montgomery. Yet there was also a gentler side of the city that. But Brennandoes have many stories to share -- about preventing a fistfight between two starswho wanted theclosing spot in Birmingham, or example, or puzzling over two entertainerswho showed up in Montgomery, both claiming to be country singer Bobby Edwards. He would tear up the piano, Moody said, We couldnt find anyone to provide a piano, but he would put on a show. People came from several states to see these shows. Brother Cyril Brennan, 84, was alternately chief engineer, manager, program director and music director at WBAM and also involved in lining up talent. She came back a few minutes later and absolutely blasted a massive bongo solo. WBAM Big Bam Shows 7,142 views Nov 21, 2010 One of the big hit singers of the 60's and 70's working on a bit with me for a TV show..a little behind the scenes..Bobby is involved with art. Studio Phone Number: (334) 244-9898. Business Office/Studios 4101-A Wall Street Montgomery, AL 36106. ", Brennan, headquartered in Birmingham, rode herd over the Shower of Stars and was the primary talent buyer for the concerts, along with his other duties at WVOK. Office Phone: (334) 244-0961 Office Fax: (334) 279-9563 Rick Peters - President / General Manager Jennifer Pestrichelli - Director of Sales Jay Scott - Operations Manager Shelby Ingram - Promotions Director Memorial Coliseum, now known as Coleman Coliseum. At this point, Mick Jagger and his pals were poised to release"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," their first international smash. "I always had an idea about saving memories for people, and using the media that was becoming available, and that's what led me into this.". Signature songs include Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison), Cryin (Roy Orbison). go to da moon copy and paste. Bell. Shop Now ", The Birmingham News file photo/Philip Barr. He founded his own company, Brennan Video Productions, in 1982and he continues to work there, transferring VHS tapes, old films and other retro footage to DVDs. "Rolling Stones, October 5, 1989, Legion Field," said Emily A. The capsule was opened during a ceremony December 3, but a complete list of its contents were not released at the time. Best Review Site for Digital Cameras. Neil Diamond. Peter (Asher) and Gordon (Waller), Big BAM Show. . ", From shapeshiftinhmojo: "The Allman Brothers played at the National Guard Armory as both the Almond Joys and as the Allman Brothers in the 1960's as well as Tuscaloosa in the seventies when they were huge. "We all felt very privileged," Bartoletti says. Big Bam All-Star Spring Show Setlists Apr 8 1967 Date Saturday, April 8, 1967 Venue Garrett Coliseum, Montgomery, AL, USA Report festival So far there are setlists of 9 gigs.
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