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. WBAM Big Bam Shows; Dan's Dusty Discs WBAM; WBAM Pictures; Read more about this topic: WBAM-FM, History. 100 feet later someone offered us tickets at face value. ", Several readers mentioned Lynyrd Skynyrd as a given, pointing to various concerts throughout the state. on. 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. His clothes were all rumpled, and he said, 'Dan, I need to go on later in the show. From au92536: "June Jam in Fort Payne - I know it's country BUT. When I got on stage the drum kit seat was way too high. The other was Municipal Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, where a show had been set for September 15 th. Moody remembers Roy Orbison being one of the nicer, more polite performers, and the Grass Roots, Paul Revere and Buckinghams being easy to work with. Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys were the headliners that evening, and the billincluded Kitty Wells, Johnnie and Jack, Fred Wamble, Jack Turner and Buddy Hawk. Signature songs include Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison), Cryin (Roy Orbison). Joplin died on Oct. 4, 1970. Beavers has played drums for various bands, including Doc Severinson, Willie Nelson and Lyle Lovett, winning a Grammy Award for Best Performance by Duo or Group in 1994 while a member of Asleep at the Wheel. Anybody remember that one? So it was a deliberate attempt to identify with people, and to recognize that they were requesting these songs. We didnt play where people sat around and drank. ', "We went over there and asked Roy, and he said, 'No, we're not going to do that. Springsteen played the 'short end' of the the Beard-Eaves with the curtain up. Toni loved doing the show, but Daryl, who never enjoyed being on camera, did not. Jerry Lee Lewis hristie Lou C. Paul Revere & the Raiders . I dont feel like well have any problem (remembering their songs). Its a good bet theyll play some Steely Dan, Crosby, Stills & Nash, a favorite, Sweet Magnolia, and Bill Hinds rendition of Joe Walshs Rocky Mountain Way.. (It was free.) Gobs of people have asked us when were going to do another reunion. The Four Seasons. Roy Orbison. The largest universities in Montgomery, AL are Auburn University at Montgomery (975 degrees awarded in 2020), Faulkner University (844 degrees), and Alabama State University (712 degrees). From 1963 to 73 the Big BAM shows and their counterpart in Birmingham, the Shower of Stars shows, presented four concerts a year. The wildest thing other than the Troggs rocking out to "Wild Thing" and whipping around long dirty hanks of British hair was Lou Christie. I'm sure they were totally confused.". How many people have been able to say this at a concert, facing a roaring crowd? 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. Ticket prices were $2 for shows in the early 1960s, gradually increasing to a top price of $5.50, a pittance by todays standards. Rare Earth. 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. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Props. The Beatles in Alabama? Shop Now We would always find the artists who were very popular with our audience, and we would try to get them, and we usually were successful.". "I think the story about Buckingham Nicks is pretty interesting. "People were going crazy, and you couldn't hear anything because the girls were screaming so loud," Bartoletti says. ", From Larry Gilbreath: "I know it's been a long time ago but not one single June Jam in Fort Payne on the list unbelievable." "Little Feat at Boutwell mid 70s. 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. The Grass Roots. If you have one, it's going to be way down the other part of the field.' 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 for the Big BAM and one in Jacksonville for the Big APE. The Beach Boys. "We had to import parkas, raincoats from Taiwan, so that was our rain insurance," Brennan says, laughing. By the time they came to get us we were pretty shozzeled.. Packed house for a 1960s Big BAM Show at Garrett Coliseum. Via a longstanding partnership with the Benns family, the Brennans also extended theirreach to Chattanooga, the home of WFLI-AM. We put on a heck of a show, said Grier. "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.". Big BAM Shows of the late 1960s and early 1970s featured all the biggest artists of the day, including Paul Revere and the Raiders, Lou Christie, Iron Butterfly, The Carpenters, The Monkees (as a group and individually), Tommy Joyce and Bobby Heart, The Grass Roots, and many more. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. What made those shows big was that Dan and Cyril would always pick the artists who were hot at the time, remembered Bill J. Moody, a former WBAM announcer and later host of Hubcap Classics. If a group had a hit record, we would have them. My personal favorite concert of all times was Billy Joel at the BJCC Concert Hall. It would be tough going back to ballrooms and small clubs after this. Thanks to Donnie Brennan for the Elvis photos. The Show That Almost Happened It was a real happening thing.. Tickets to these shows were typically $3 to $4. One of the Beach Boys told me it was the biggest talent show hed ever been in!. From:"Rodney Justo" To:"robert register" Subject:Re: HEY EL NIXO! Kenny Rogers and the First Edition. To be honest, Brennan doesn't precisely recall what he said to the audience that evening, just before the mop-topped John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr took the stage. The detailed map shows the US state of Alabama with boundaries, the location of the state capital Montgomery, major cities and populated places, rivers and lakes, interstate highways, principal highways, railroads and major airports. I was very happy with doing the work I did. FACIAL. Show Duplicate for Mar 22, 2013: Mar 08, 2013 Justin Moore: Garrett Coliseum: When Cher and Sonny first met in 1963, she was 16, while he was 27 and married (he and his first wife were separated). Wed go all over, even the Old Dutch in Panama City.. Elton John played three different years and drew over 40,000 total. The Big BAM was WBAM, the 50,000-watt AM radio station owned by the Brennan family, whose other Alabama station was Birminghams WVOK. Only concert I have ever been to where they had tee shirts for the guitarist in the band along with the band's shirts. "It was a promotional thing for us. In the 1950s and '60s, Montgomery, Alabama, was ground zero f. Home; My Books; Browse . Its better than not being remembered at all.. former wcti reporters; winter village montreal; western new england university greek life; 1980 camaro z28 for sale in canada. Members: Mitch Alton (original member), Gregg Pappas, Ham Wilson, Bill Marshall , Dwight Williams, Rick Byrd, Orville Cain, Carl Tesh. It made me feel good in a way, he said. Western European Countries, Italian Restaurants In Sandy Springs, Contemporary Music For All Coma, Ford Bronco Reservation Login, Panoplie Dragoeuf Dofus Touch, River Radio Station, Nice In Korean, How Did Tamerlan Tsarnaev Die, Den Of Behemoths Boss, All rights reserved (About Us). The 7 p.m.show-- billedas a music battle between the England and the United States-- also includedtheRighteous Brothers, Marty Robbins, Sonny James, Skeeter Davis, Del Reeves, Archie "Rindercella" Campbell and Cannibal and the Headhunters. "We all felt very privileged," Bartoletti says. The Lovin' Spoonful. Alicia McLeod - Vocals. Neither Tommy Shaw nor Beth Nielsen Chapman will be on hand due to their schedules. The mothership landed in the BJCC that night. I've got to change clothes and everything.' Both stations played Top 40 hits of the day, and the concerts were the Brennans gifts to a loyal radio audience. Can you say Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?". Most of the clubs have gone to a single performer, or a duo or karaoke. "Bill" Brennan, one of the owners of The Big Bam, Montgomery's renowned 50,000-watt radio station. White guys playing soul music!, Most of the stuff we played was music you could easily dance to, said Dupree. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. So they both sang a few bars of the song, 'You're the Reason I'm Living," and we still couldn't decide which one was the real one. ", Looking back on it, Brennan realizes that bringing the Beatles to the Gator Bowl was a milestone event -- one firmly enshrined in Beatles lore and noted by Ron Howard in his 2016 documentary, "Eight Days a Week -- The Touring Years." I don't know, I guess people got to trust us. We were considered the number one soul band in the south. [Montgomery native and fellow Robert E. Lee graduate Tommy Shaw came back from Chicago to join the group, staying six months until getting a call to join Styx, who needed a replacement for a guitarist whod left as they were about to go on tour. Just a few of the letters WBAM received from fans providing input into the acts they wished to see at the shows. Paul Revere & the Raiders. I never chased the stars around to hotels or anything. Wed have them in the spring, summer, fall and winter, said Dan Brennan, known on-air as Dan the Music Man hosting Dans Dusty Discs, who also announced acts on-stage. Still, for radio listeners who tuned into WVOK back in the day, Brennan will always be Dan the Music Man. That's how we put together our shows. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. "Two guitars and a stool. Read reviews from world's largest community for readers. ", 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're big on memories," Brennan says. Bob Brennen gave me these. . He remembers the Kove days with Harvest/Harmony fondly, not only for the bands music but the people who came to see them. Date:Sun, 5 Jun 2005 09:12:45 -0400 I'll tell you a story about that WBAM show in Montgomery. They were a staple at dances for years, packing National Guard armories, gymnasiums, and teen clubs from Montgomery to Opp and Troy, and college campuses at Tuscaloosa, Auburn and Ole Miss. "It was quite a thing.". JLL put on a hell of a show also. ", From GmanGent: "Alice Cooper Von Braun in 1974's Welcome to my Nightmare Tourone of the most successful tours financially up until that time. In the 1960's WVOK, in Birmingham Alabama, would have the top bands play at one huge concert. Each episode had a specific theme, mission, or challenge which was accomplished by performing pranks, skateboarding, and enlisting the help of . 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. "Times have changed so," said a wistful Peek, the Shower of Stars devotee. We got started because of the Beatles, said Jimbo Jones, longtime singer and guitarist with Harmony, one of the most popular bands to come out of Montgomery that played in the mid to late 70s at Keglers Kove, the lounge at Bama Lanes. All who attended the big September 19th show must present ticket stub at gate between 12 noon and 1PM. Then another. Studio Phone Number: (334) 244-9898. Business Office/Studios 4101-A Wall Street Montgomery, AL 36106. The Fabulous Shades 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. The Brennan familysold itsstake in AM radio a few years later,and hemoved on to WRKK-FM, an album-rock station known as K-99. Blue arcs of electricity knocked him unconscious and the show ended 15 minutes early. Rinoplastia; Blefaroplastia April 8, 1967: State Coliseum, Montgomery, AL with Electric Prunes, Buckinghams, Lou Christie, Brian Hyland and The Jokers, Tommy James and The Shondells, Royal Guardsmen, The Blues Magoos, The Casinos and others "WBAM presents Big Bam All-Star Spring Show" April 14, 1967: University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA with Freudian Slip Butspeaking in general terms, each also hada specialty: Bill the visionaryentrepreneur, Cyril the tech-mindedpioneer, Dan the key concert producer and a smooth, recognizable voice at WVOK. Joni Mitchell at Tuscaloosa 1975 would be third," said jarobertson. He would tear up the piano, Moody said, We couldnt find anyone to provide a piano, but he would put on a show. That radio station had its concerts, too, dubbedJet-Fli Spectaculars, at the Soldiers &Sailors Memorial Auditorium. Montgomery's home for country music favorites like Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Alan Jackson, George Strait, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert . That was one of my first big gigs - the Big BAM shows! Because it was so big, we ran on stage as soon as we were introduced, grabbed our instruments and started playing before the applause died down. Lowell George in his prime," says Bingothatwuzagoody. They would buy so many tickets in advance, we didn't have to worry about whether they were going to come or not.". The Buckinghams. Dislike Share. It was just the coolest thing.". Cyril's wife Louise would make us outfits for the Shower of Stars, and we'd have on these big bell bottoms. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. HOW COME PAUL GODDARD PUSHES HIS GLASSES UP THE BRIDGE OF HIS NOSE? said donnna. Wynton M. Blount Cultural Park 52 Theaters Parks By Meowy But it never happened. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. The last Big BAM show was headlined by B.J. 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 . Formed: 1966, Tallassee. Big BAM Shows of the late 1960s and early 1970s featured all the biggest artists of the day, including Paul Revere and the Raiders, Lou Christie, Iron Butterfly, The Carpenters, The Monkees (as a group and individually), Tommy Joyce and Bobby Heart, The Grass Roots, and many more. "This was a daytime concert that seemed like a war zone with fireworks flying everywhere. It was great! In most cases, the concertswere multi-act affairs, featuring the hottest names the radio stations could secure. The 8:30 p.m. show -- which happened in the windy aftermath of Hurricane Dora-- came courtesy of WAPE-AM, a radio station owned by the Brennan family.
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