Welcome to my Twin Cities Music Highlights page.  This is my attempt to gather information about the music scene that took place primarily in the mid-to-late 1960s in the Minneapolis and St. Paul area, with an emphasis on connections to St. Louis Park, my home town.  References to the Echo are to St. Louis Park High's student newspaper.  I invite additions and corrections, so feel free to contact me at jeanneandersen@comcast.net.

Please Note:  I do not list local bands because there are just hundreds of them.  I do keep a card file on them, however, so information on bands is still welcome.  See PUBLICATIONS (below) for Tom Tourville's book about local bands that made records. 

Related websites include:

http://minniepaulmusic.com/    THE BEST site on bands - loads of info, pictures, posters, and interviews.

http://www.garagehangover.com/?q=taxonomy/term/140/9  (12 Minnesota bands)

http://www.midwesttribute.com/

This site is one long page made up of several sections (designed that way to make searching easier).  Use these bookmarks to skip to a particular section.


TC MUSIC TIMELINE

TEENAGE DANCE SHOWS OF THE '50s AND '60s

TWIN CITIES ROCK ANTHOLOGIES

PUBLICATIONS

LIVE MUSIC VENUES

LOCAL DISK JOCKEYS OF THE '50s AND '60s

LOCAL ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO STATIONS

MID-AMERICA MUSIC HALL OF FAME

INDIVIDUAL PAGES


TC MUSIC TIMELINE

This section lists musical events that took place here in the Twin Cities.  The chronology generally stops at 1974, with a few exceptions, mostly for St. Louis Park-related people and events.  A big Thanks to Mark Karnowski, who sent a list of State Fair Grandstand shows.  The list of Met Center shows comes from Lou Nanne's book on the history of the Northstars. 

El Patio/The Cotton Club

The building at 5916 Excelsior Blvd. in St. Louis Park, now known as Bunny's, has a long musical history.  Tax records show that it was built in 1920, the first year of Prohibition.  Although information on the early days is scarce, it first made its mark as the El Patio (pronounced el PAY-sho) Cafe and Dance Hall.  At the time it was out in the middle of nowhere - Highway 7 wasn't built until 1934 and Highway 100 in 1939.  During Prohibition it was probably a setup joint, where you brought your own liquor, although one long-ago waitress remembers serving "cold coffee."  One of the classiest establishments on the Boulevard, in the early days it catered to the Country Club and University crowds. In 1934, with the end of Prohibition, it became known as the Cotton Club, with those words written prominently on the roof.  It was owned by a group of Greek immigrants collectively known as "the Greeks."

The Cotton Club was run by Pete Koralis. In 1934 he brought in Boyd Atkins from Chicago to lead the band of local musicians he then presented at the Cotton Club. Among the local players were trumpeter Rook Ganz and tenor saxophonist Harry Pettiford. Atkins was a composer/arranger of some stature who also played reeds and piano. In 1935, Karalis brought in Lester Young to replace Pettiford. Young was with the Atkins band at the Cotton Club in 1936 when he received a telegram from Count Basie asking him to join his band back in Kansas City. Young made his seminal recordings with Basie that same year. The club was known for featuring black musicians who had a hard time getting jobs in in Minneapolis. Atkins led the Cotton Club band until 1940, when he moved on to lead a band at a club in Peoria, Illinois.
 

In 1939, an article described how the proprietors were fined $25 for staying open too late. The same article said that the "roadhouse was a favorite spot for jitterbugs and high school youths." In a Village council hearing about the matter, the indignant crowd and even the Mayor himself mentioned rumors about the place; one citizen was quote thusly: “It is a known fact that they have been catering to high school kids for years, serving near beer to be spiked.”

The club became the home of a progression of different restaurants through the years before becoming the "new Bunny's" in 1998.  For more information, see the web site of the St. Louis Park Historical Society and the book Joined at the Hip:  A History of Jazz in the Twin Cities by Jay Goetting.

 

1935-38

Leigh Kamman remembers that when he was in Jr. High and High School in St. Paul, there was a show on WDGY called "White Heat," hosted by George Carson Putnam who did hep cat alliterative introductions.  His theme song was "Ride Red Ride" by Henry "Red" Allen.  The show was on at 3 PM Monday through Friday, and played jazz.

 

1943

St. Louis Park High student Mary Ellen Erickson procured the autograph of Frankie Carle (sigh).  But there were some at Park who were hip.  Dig this article called "Platter Chatter" by student reporter Jim Church in the Echo:

Come on, cats, don't be squares or ickys.  Bring in all the solid jazz discs 'n hear 'em played in the auditorium during the eleventh and twelfth grade lunch hour.  Hear the place rock to the righteous swing of Goodman on the licorice stick or Sampson's "Boogie Express" on the 88.  Say!  Have you heard Goodman's "Bugle Call Rag" with Krupa on the tubs?  Jan Garber has made a complete switch from his sweet orchestra to a jump band.  Now that he has got away from the Guy Lombardo type of music, we feel sure he'll succeed...Sinatra is 4-F in the Army which goes to show that no one wants him.  ...  A hep cat's dream of heaven is Goodman's recording of "Sing-Sing-Sing" on a twelve inch Victor platter.  The trouble is it is almost impossible to obtain.  Ammons and Johnson, masters of the eight-to-the-bar, are set for Hollywood picture work... Harry James is coming out with another M.G.M. film, "Mr. Co-ed," in which Harry begins with a blues theme and rides into a torrid tempo...  Watch for Charlie Spivak's movie "Pin Up Girl" ...  Well!  End of study hour (?) so I'll hang up.  Amen!

1944

"Blues, Part 2" by Jazz at the Philharmonic was the first of 50 nominations for the first rock 'n' roll record, according to a book of that name by Jim Dawson and Steve Propes.

The Excelsior Amusement Park Pre-Season opening All Twin City High School Night was held on Friday, May 12, 1944.  Danceland hosted Bud Strawn and his (TC Favorite) Orchestra, featuring Betty Jacobson, soloist.

Danceland also had an annual commencement dance on Thursday, June 15 at 1 am.

1945

The 1945 candidates in What Was the First Rock 'n' Roll Record? by Jim Dawson and Steve Propes are:

• "The Honeydripper" by Joe Liggins and His Honeydrippers
• "Be-Baba-Leba" by Helen Humes with the Bill Doggett Octet
  
   

1946

Django Reinhardt played the Minneapolis Auditorium on November 13 1946 with Duke Ellington's orchestra. This was his only U.S. tour.  See a cool collage on Robb Henry's blog.

 

The 1946 candidates in What Was the First Rock 'n' Roll Record? by Jim Dawson and Steve Propes are: 

• "House of Blue Lights" by Freddie Slack and His Orchestra with Ella Mae Morse
• "That's All Right" by Big Boy Crudup
• "Open the Door, Richard" by Jack McVea and His All Stars

 
PERCY HUGHES

In 1946 saxophonist Percy Hughes returned from the military to his native Minneapolis and joined the Wold Chamberlain Navy Band, which up to that time had been led by Irv Williams.  Williams left for New York and Hughes was elected to be the new leader.  The band became known as Percy Hughes and His Orchestra, the most well-known jazz band in the Cities.  Their first regular job was at the Treasure Inn in St. Paul (see venues section below).  Jazz disc jockey Leigh Kamman promoted the group on his show, featuring them on remotes from venues like the Calhoun Beach Hotel and the Radisson downtown.  The band also played at private parties and fraternal balls, many of which were advertised in the Minneapolis Spokesman.  Other residencies were at Snyder's Restaurant and the Flame Cafe, downtown Minneapolis.  In 1956 he began a long stay at the Point in Golden Valley, until it burned down in 1973.  From there he moved to the Kashmiri Room at the Ambassador Motor Inn on Highway 12 in St. Louis Park, where his trio played until 1982.  All this time, Percy Hughes was a full-time mailman for 30 years, and he also was an avid tennis player, going on to win awards for coaching.  Percy Hughes was a true force in Minneapolis jazz, and he's not done yet!  Read more about him in the book Sports and All That Jazz:  The Percy Hughes Story by Jim Swanson (Nodin Press 2011).
 

1947

The Ravens were a New York based R&B vocal group that included Leonard Puzey, whose career began when he won an amateur talent contest at the Apollo Theater in 1946. The group was most famous for their song “Old Man River,” and recorded several classic songs until they broke up in 1955. Puzey joined other groups, but eventually found himself stranded in St. Paul. Incredibly, he decided he liked Minnesota and started driving a bus for Talmud Torah. He and fellow Raven Maithe Marshall lived at Menorah Plaza (Marshall died in 1989). The Ravens were inducted into the R&B Hall of Fame in 1991. Leonard Puzey passed away on October 2, 2007 at the age of 83.  There are some really good web sites on the Ravens:  jazzwax.com, Marv Goldberg's R&B Notebooks, and many performances on youtube. 
 

1948

On May 18, the Doc Evans Dixie Five, Lonnie Johnson, and Jimmy Yancey played the blues at the Minneapolis Labor Temple.  See an ad on Robb Henry's Blog. 

Louis Armstrong appeared with Jack Teagarden at the St. Paul Auditorium on May 8 and the Minneapolis Auditorium on May 9.  See an ad on Robb Henry's blog.

WDGY made remote broadcasts from Don Leary's Record and Radio Store, 56 E. Hennepin (on Nicollet Island).  Bill Curtis hosted "Don Leary's Open House," and an aircheck shows that they played a polka, country song, and jazz, and gave away an Ethel Waters record.

 

The 1948 candidates in What Was the First Rock 'n' Roll Record? by Jim Dawson and Steve Propes are: 

• "Tomorrow Night" by Lonnie Johnson
• "Good Rockin' Tonight" by Wynonie Harris and His All Stars
• "We're Gonna Rock, We're Gonna Roll" by Wild Bill Moore
• "It's Too Soon to Know" by the Orioles
• "Boogie Chillun" by John Lee Hooker
• "Guitar Boogie" by Arthur Smith and the Crackerjacks
   

1949
 

St. Louis Park Echo, February 23, 1949.  Don Doty was a disk jockey, station unknown.

 

The 1949 candidates in What Was the First Rock 'n' Roll Record? by Jim Dawson and Steve Propes are: 

• "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" by Stick McGhee and His Buddies
• "Rock the Joint" by Jimmy Preston and His Prestonians
• "Saturday Night Fish Fry" by Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five
• "Mardi Gras in New Orleans" by Professor Longhair

1950

In the September 16, 1950, St. Louis Park Echo, there is an ad for John K. Sherman's "Toast-and-Jam Session - a New Saturday Breakfast Series" from 9 to 10 AM, Fountain Room, Fourth Floor, Maurice L. Rothschild Young-Quinlan Co., 9th and Nicollet Downtown.  It advertised "Celebrities!  Blies-Dixieland-Bebop! - Breakfast!  Hi-School Bigshots! - Surprises!  Sherman was the Music, Art, and Drama Critic for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.  Aha!  A precursor to the famous Dayton's shows of the '60s?

                    

In October 1950, Echo reporter Joan Bye presented a record review called "Discs to Please Park."  On the list were songs featured in movies and "Dance Date" records arranged and presented by Xavier Cugat, Les Brown, Tony Pastor, and Hall McIntyre.  For jazz fans, Stan Kenton's "Innovations in Modern Music," "The Cuban Episode," and "Incident in Jazz" are recommended, and there are selections endorsed for Dixieland fans.  Park native David Lloyd was one of the performers to appear with the Minneapolis symphony orchestra that winter. 

The Sheiks of Rhythm was St. Louis Park High's resident Swing Band.  Members were Jack Bassart, director, Bob Anderson, Bob Bechtold, Dewaine Osman, Norma Domian, Alan Lecklitner, Darleen Thorson, Bill Harrison, and Art Lunow.  The Toga Tri girls organized a Fish Dance, featuring Spike Lee's younger brother Pike Lee and his Fish Scalers...

 

The 1950 candidates in What Was the First Rock 'n' Roll Record? by Jim Dawson and Steve Propes are: 

• "The Fat Man" by Fats Domino
• "Rollin' and Tumblin" by Muddy Waters
• "Birmingham Bounce" by Hardrock Gunter and the Pebbles
• "I'm Movin' On" by Hank Snow and His Rainbow Ranch Boys
• "Teardrops From My Eyes" by Ruth Brown with Budd Johnson's Orchestra
• "Hot Rod Race" by Arkie Shibley and His Mountain Dew Boys

Early 1950s

The Flame Jazz Club at 8th and Wabasha in St. Paul hosted many big name jazz acts in the early 1950s.  See a collage of ads on Robb Henry's blog. 

The Labor Temple sponsored national jazz acts in the early '50s.  See a collage of ads on Robb Henry's blog.

 

1951

After the Edina-St. Louis Park Football game on September 21, 1951, students from both schools were invited to a Jam Session in the Edina gym with Don Leary's Band.

Teenagers were wearing Levi's jeans constantly, says the Echo.
 

Excelsior Amusement Park had its annual Pre-Season Opening April 20-2.  Dancing (in heated ballroom) Friday and Saturday nights featured Steve Dunning and his Dance Stylists.  The April 10 St. Louis Park High Echo included an ad for the event, billed as the Annual Twin City and Suburban High School Jamboree:  "10,000 Students attended the Jamboree last year - Don't miss this annual event - All Students Going"

 

The 1951 candidates in What Was the First Rock 'n' Roll Record? by Jim Dawson and Steve Propes are: 

• "Rocket 88" by Jackie Breston with His Delta Cats  (actually Ike Turner's band)
• "Sixty Minute Man" by the Dominoes
• "Cry" by Johnnie Ray

1952

Excelsior Amusement Park had its Pre-Season Opening starting on April 25.  Dancing (in heated ballroom) Friday and Saturday nights featured Les Williams and His Music From Paradise.  The April 22 St. Louis Park High Echo included an ad for the event, billed as the Annual Twin City and Suburban High School Jamboree:  "10,000 Students attended the Jamboree last year - Don't miss this annual event - All Students Going"

There was some excitement in July 1952, when Johnnie Ray, the “Prince of Wails,” came to town for a week at the Radio City Theater. It seems Ray, his opening comic Gary Morton (Lucy’s husband?), and a “couple of thirsty local well wishers” were drinking heavily in his room on the 17th floor of the Radisson Hotel. According to his biographer, Jonny Whiteside, “Johnnie was inspired to pay a call at the gift shop in their hotel’s lobby. Naturally, he was drawn to the kiddies’ toy section – alcohol not only stimulated, it also seemed to regress him to his childhood. He obtained the perfect summer fun accoutrement: roller skates and water pistols for everyone in the party.” They proceeded to roller skate through the lobby and into the restaurant. Minneapolis detective/house dick Ray Williamson brought them to the station when they “squared off” when being asked to pipe down. They were charged with disorderly conduct, but his road manager bailed him out and they were released after about an hour.


The 1952 candidates in What Was the First Rock 'n' Roll Record? by Jim Dawson and Steve Propes" are:

• "One Mint Julep" by the Clovers
• "Rock the Joint" by Bill Haley and the Saddlemen
• "Have Mercy Baby" by the Dominoes
• "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" by Lloyd Price.  Lloyd Price has come out with a book declaring "Lawdy Miss Clawdy" the first rock 'n' roll song and himself as "The True King of the 50s." 
  
   

1953

The St. Louis Park High School Echo of March 18, 1953, included an ad for Disc & Needle:  "You Can Always Get the Hits."  Locations were at 1451 W. Lake at Hennepin, and 5006 France Ave. in Edina.

Drive-Ins were extremely popular in the early '50s.

The 1953 candidates in What Was the First Rock 'n' Roll Record? by Jim Dawson and Steve Propes are:

• "Kaw-Liga" by Hank Williams and the Drifting Cowboys
• "Hound Dog" by Big Mama Willie Mae Thornton with Kansas City Bill
• "Honey Hush" by Big Joe Turner
• "Money Honey" by the Clovers
• "Gee" by the Crows

Bill Haley and His Comets' "Crazy Man Crazy" also came out in 1953, entering the Billboard Pop Chart in June. 

Local radio stations began to take baby steps in airing these kinds of tunes, including WLOL's "Swing Club" program with Bob Bradley.  Another show was a request program hosted by "Uncle Merle" (Edwards) on WMIN.  Dick Driscoll remembers working at WDGY during those early years and trying to sneak in some hipper tunes, but management was not pleased.

 

1954

The place to go for records in St. Louis Park, as early as 1954, was Don Leary "Drive In" Appliances at Miracle Mile. In 1956, Variety rated Leary one of the top 20 record dealers in the country. In 1958, E.F. Sandberg bought Don Leary’s store for his son Don to operate, and it became Don’s Records and Hi-Fi (see 1958 below).

The Park High Echo had an ad for Disc and Needle (see 1953 above) in its January 13, 1954 issue.  The ad gave the top 8 songs of the day:

1. O Mein Papa by Eddie Calvert
2. Marie by the Four Tunes
3. Till Then by the Hilltoppers
4. Changing Partners by Patti Page
5. The Bunny Hop by Ray Anthony
6. The Creep by Lee Roy and His Band
7. Stranger in Paradise by the Four Aces
8. Bell Bottom Boogie by Teresa Brewer

Apparently rock 'n' roll had not hit Minneapolis quite yet.

The film "The Wild One" starring Marlon Brando as a motorcycle tough was released in February 1954.  The movie was based on a short story published in Harper's Magazine about a real-life incident where a motorcycle gang invaded a small town. 




Many contenders for the first rock 'n' roll record in 1954, according to Dawson and Propes:
 

• In July 1954 Elvis released his first record, "That's All Right"/"Blue Moon of Kentucky."  In September he released "Good Rockin' Tonight"/"I Don't Care if the Sun Don't Shine."  Unclear if anyone outside of the South heard these Sun releases.

• "Sh-Boom" entered the Billboard Pop chart in August 1954.  The original version by the Chords, the cover version by the Crew Cuts, and the takeoff by Stan Freburg were all listed. 

• ("We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and His Comets.  This song wouldn't hit the charts until it was used on the soundtrack of the film "Blackboard Jungle."  See 1955 below.  Haley's "Shake, Rattle and Roll" hit the  Billboard Chart on August 21, 1954.  "Dim Dim the Lights" would hit the Pop chart in November and the R&B chart in January 1955.

• "Riot in Cell Block #9" by the Robins (precursors to the Coasters).

• "Earth Angel (Will You be Mine)" by the Penguins

• "Tweedle Dee" by LaVern Baker and the Gliders

• "Pledging My Love" by Johnny Ace

• "I've Got a Woman" by Ray Charles

In the fall, Bermuda shorts were all the rage for girls, accented with argyle socks.  Pink and black were popular colors.

On October 15, "Jazz at the Philharmonic" performed at the Minneapolis Auditorium.  The show had toured for 14 years, and included the Oscar Peterson Trio, Buddy Rich, Louis Bellson, and Ella Fitzgerald.

Vic's Cocktail Lounge featured acts such as "Wild Bill" Boone, Tommy "Madman" Jones, Lester Young, Earl Bostic, Big Jay McNeely, and Illinois Jacquet.

Park High had a sock hop sponsored by the Red Cross, with prizes for the gayest socks.  "Soc" hops went back as far as 1950.  Another novelty was the "Turnabout" dance, where the girls did the asking, driving, and paying.

For some reason they were teaching dancing in Demonstration Speeches class at Park High.  "The girls were quite cooperative, but teaching the mambo to boys is like teaching it to a herd of billy goats," remarked speech teacher Roger DeClerq. 

GAITY RECORDS

Not yet out of high school, North Minneapolis teen David Hersk started a recording business in his parents' basement at 1501 N. Newton Ave.  Naming his company Gaity ("That's not even a word!" he says today), he started with a Robbinsdale choral group called the Quarternotes in 1954.  He recorded all sorts of music in the ten years of his enterprise:  Do Wop, rockabilly, rock 'n' roll, folk, even surf music.  Eventually he built his own studio in Bloomington, which he later sold to Dove.  Usually only 500 copies of a 45 were made and given out to DJs and at dances.  They are extremely rare today and are traded at high prices among collectors.  A two-volume anthology called "Bloodshot!" was put out in vinyl by Norton Records in 1994 and is also available on CD.  On it are songs (mostly recorded between 1958-60) by groups such as the Sonics, Blue Kats, Glenrays, Valquins, Wisdoms (David's favorite), Corvairs, the Jades, and the Big M's.  David got out of the recording business in 1964 and went into graphic arts, doing album covers and other projects.  It is through his enthusiastic efforts that we have these nuggets of Twin Cities music.
 

1955

Elvis released three records on the Sun label in 1955:

• "You're a Heartbreaker"/"Milkcow Blues Boogie" (January)
• "Baby Let's Play House"/"I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone" (April)
• "Mystery Train"/"I Forgot to Remember to Forget" (September)

None made the Billboard Pop charts, although the last two made the Country and Western charts.  Elvis signed with RCA Victor in November 1955.

Bud's Music Center, 820 Excelsior Blvd. in Hopkins, opened in February 1955. 

Available ratings books show that March 1955 was the advent of the "Mr. Rhythm" show on WCOW.  The show ran Monday-Friday from 6 or 6:30 pm until the daytime-only station went off the air - 7 pm in March/April, 8pm from May-August.  During the summer of 1955 it was also on from 6:30 pm to 8 pm on Saturday, and for a couple of months from 7:30-8 pm on Sunday.  Sam Sabean explains: 

Joe Zingale called himself "Mr. Rhythm." Here was a country station, WCOW and Saturday Afternoon and Evening, along came Mr. Rhythm and played the real soul of Rhythm 'n Blues. You can't imagine how his popularity took off. When he was on the air, there were hundreds and hundreds of people around the radio station just hanging out and listening to the music. Joe then took it a step further and booked the St. Paul Auditorium for a Rhythm 'n Blues show with great locals such as Augie Garcia. Joe came from Cleveland Ohio and was a time salesman for WCOW and he just got this wild idea about playing that music. It was an overnight smash. Joe then left the Twin Cities, went back to Cleveland and became a time salesman with the big rocker along with two of his buddies. Jack Thayer was the manager of the station and eventually, because they were so successful selling time, Joe and his two buddies bought the station and became millionaires. Joe ended up one of the owners of the professional basketball team in Cleveland.

Could this be the holy grail?  The first rock 'n' roll/rhythm & blues played on Twin Cities radio?  

Meanwhile, WDGY was starting to play covers.  In with Perry Como and Doris Day, scripts saved all these years by DJ John Evans include the song "Sincerely" by the McGuire Sisters (noted as No. 2 in the Twin Cities) in 1955.  Out on the East Coast, of course, they were playing the original version by the Moonglows.  The Sisters' version sold six times better.  One rather funny cover was "Tweedle Dee," not by Lavern Baker or even Georgia Gibbs, but by someone named Vicky Young.  The Fontane Sisters, who sang on the Perry Como Show, got hip with the song "Rock Love," which did not hit the radar when done the year before  by Lula Reed.  June of '55 brought the "Popcorn Song," which is pretty good by Cliffie Stone ("Too Pooped to Pop").  But what's this:  the ultimate abomination:  "Bo Diddley" by the (are you ready?) the Harmonicats!  Oy.  Les Paul did "Sleep," perhaps the one by Little Willie John, but he's Les Paul so that's okay.  The Four Knights are doing "Glory of Love," which was best done by the Five Keys in 1951, but the song was written in 1936 so who's to gripe. In July the McGuire Sisters were back with a song just called "Rhythm and Blues."  Somehow the word got out.  Ray Anthony had one called "Juke Box Special," and even Perry Como rocked with an actually great tune called "Tina Marie."  A Sammy Cahn song called "Day by Day" by the Four Freshmen is not exactly even a cover, but a wonderful song and Brian Wilson's inspiration for the Beach Boys' harmony.  Oh, here's another ridiculous one:  "Drinking Wine Spoli Oli" by the Five Strings.  Could this really be "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" by Stick McGhee and his Buddies?  Ouch!  The year closes out with the Fontane Sisters back with "Seventeen," a pretty good song if done by Boyd Bennett and His Rockets, a rockabilly band. 

An April Echo reported that Bermuda shorts were a big fad for guys.  A follow-up in September said that they were still popular for girls and guys.

Augie Garcia's "Hi Yo Silver" was one of the first rock 'n' roll record made in Minnesota. Vic Tedesco says it sold 150,000 copies.  Click on the link to see much more about the "Godfather of Minnesota Rock."

The 15th annual Excelsior Amusement Park Teenage Jamboree was held on May 13, 1955.  Entertainment was by Dick Kast's Orchestra.

Duke Ellington performed at Northrup Auditorium in May 1955.  All proceeds went to build a student union on the St. Paul campus.

 

BLACKBOARD JUNGLE

This seminal film starred Glen Ford as a teacher at an all-male technical high school, presumably in New York City.  The story was a cautionary tale about juvenile delinquency - to the sound of a drum beat, a crawl read:

     We, in the United States, are fortunate to have a school system that is a tribute to our communities and to our faith in American youth.

 

     Today we are concerned with juvenile delinquency -- its causes -- and its effects.  We are especially concerned when this delinquency boils over into our schools.

 

     The scenes and incidents depicted here are fictional.

 

     However, we believe that public awareness is a first step toward a remedy for any problem.

 

     It is in this spirit and with this faith that BLACKBOARD JUNGLE was produced.

Then WHOMP, it goes right into "(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and His Comets over the opening credits and beyond, showing some of the boys dancing to it on the playground.  This was the first time many people had heard anything resembling rock 'n' roll, and it was a sensation - many folks remember sitting through it again just to hear the song.  The movie opened at the Gopher Theater in Minneapolis with an exclusive engagement for two months, then moving down to second and third run theaters.  Eventually almost every theater in town showed the film, and it didn't disappear from the listings until fall.  The song "(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock" (just billed as "Rock Around the Clock" in the movie credits) hit the Billboard Pop Chart on May 14, 1955 and the R&B chart in June.  Haley had 9 songs on the Pop charts in 1954 and '55.  Jim Ramsburg guesses that only Merle Edwards would have played them on his overnight show in 1955.

 

The 1955 candidates in What Was the First Rock 'n' Roll Record? by Jim Dawson and Steve Propes are: 

• Chuck Berry's "Maybelline," which hit the Billboard Pop and Rhythm & Blues charts in August.  The flip side, "Wee Wee Hours," would make the R&B chart in September.  "Thirty Days" would hit the R&B chart in October. 
• "Bo Diddley" by Bo Diddley
• "Tutti Frutti" by Little Richard.

The movie "The Wild One" must have been the inspiration for the song "Black Denim Trousers," written by Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller and sung by the Cheers, which hit the Billboard pop chart in September 1955.  (The Cheers included Bert Convy, later of game show fame).  WDGY played a version by someone named Jackie Brooks, and the song was also covered by Vaughn Monroe, of all people, that November.  That fall the Echo reported that biker gear was gaining popularity in the high schools.  Shorts were also still very popular, as reported in an October issue of the Echo.

The film "Rebel Without a Cause" starring James Dean as a disaffected teen was released on October 27, 1955. 

A November 1955 list of favorite songs in the St. Louis Park Echo:

• Autumn Leaves
• Moments to Remember
• Love is a Many-Splendored Thing
• Love and Marriage
• Black Denim Trousers
• He
• Yellow Rose of Texas
• Someone You Love
• Bonnie Lassie
• 16 Tons

Still no real rock 'n' roll at dear old Park High.

1956

In January, St. Louis Park student combo the Blue Flames entertained at the "Jump Ball" sponsored by Amica Tri.  Members were:

• John Duck - clarinet
• Alan Gelhar - cornet
• Chuck Heinecke - tenor sax
• John Lindahl - drums
• Jim Elsness - piano

Hot rods were spotted in the St. Louis Park High parking lot - Jay Sargent got 12 people in his 1936 Ford.

Mootz-Schmidt record and hi-fi store, located next to the Park Theater, ran a contest, giving away free 45 rpm records.

 

WDGY AND THE ADVENT OF TOP 40 ROCK 'N' ROLL

Before WDGY went to real rock 'n' roll, it still had some covers and pretenders to play.  What is "A Teen Age Prayer" by Robbin Hood (and then Kitty White)?  "Rock and Roll Waltz" by Kay Starr - 'nuff said.  "Dungaree Doll" by Eddie Fisher is actually pretty good.  "Sixteen Tons" by Tennessee Ernie Ford was popular with everyone.  "Band of Gold" by Don Cherry crossed over, as did "No, Not Much" by the Four Lads.  "The Great Pretender" shows up by Jackie Riggs instead of the innocuous Platters - c'mon!  Oh, and in February we first see Pat Boone, doing the El Dorados' "At My Front Door."   And one of my all-time favorites, "Lipstick, Candy and Rubbersole Shoes" by Julius LaRosa.  Fabulous.  And that's what they played on WDGY on February 5, 1956. 

Then on February 6, 1956, WDGY became Minnesota's first Top 40 rock 'n' roll radio station when it was purchased by Todd Storz. Former KSTP utility man Herb Oscar Anderson hit the ground running and WDGY caught on fast, going from a station with not much identity and a 4 share to a rock 'n' roll monster with a 20 share, second only to monolith WCCO.  For much more on the advent of rock 'n' roll radio in the Twin Cities, see the WDGY section in Rock 'n' Roll Radio Stations below. 

Top 40 was not entirely new, but new as a concept for an entire station's programming.  The number 40 was chosen because that's how many songs (with commercials) that could be played in three hours.  Jim Ramsburg remembers that the Number 1 song had to be played every hour, but the rest were up to the DJs.  He remembers being particularly sick of "The Wayward Wind."  An article from March 20 in Variety gives the down side:

As far as most of the stations is concerned, here's the rub:  They're confining themselves almost entirely, if not entirely, to disk jockey shows and the same leading pop tune recordings are played innumerable times during the course of 24 or fewer hours, let alone a week.

 

There just aren't enough new top pop recordings hitting the market, of course, to permit sufficient musical variety.  and station operators are keeping their fingers crossed and hoping that their dialers won't be driven insane listening to the same tunes almost interminably.  They concede that "listeners probably are paying a high price for the possibility of getting money for nothing by having their lobar extremities assailed by the same song over and over."

THE 1956 CONTEST CRAZE

To call attention to its new identity, on its first day as the new rock 'n' roll WDGY on February 6, 1956, the station kicked off a cash giveaway contest craze that would involve almost every other station and force hopeful listeners to buy lots of radios.  WTCN got wind of it and started their own contest on February 1.  KSTP joined the fray on March 7, with WCCO coming in on March 12.  WLOL had given away only two prizes by March 21. 

In May 1956 Will Jones of the Minneapolis Tribune had plenty of jokes about the contests.  Apparently Stuart A. Lindman of WTCN was running a contest where listeners sent HIM money (for charity).  At the same time, WCOW had changed its call letters to WISK, and disk jockeys were standing in the streets handing out bills.  At a broadcasters' convention the gag was that the listeners got paid more than the station executives. 

On June 7 WDGY hid a check for $105,000 somewhere within ten miles of the station.  The check was underwritten by an insurance company, and nobody at the station knew where the check was hidden.  The company would supply the jocks with hints to broadcast and listeners had ten days to find it. Todd Storz announced that the check would be not more than 15 feet above nor ore than five feet below ground.  "Searchers are warned against the use of - and will not need - explosives, demolition equipment, or power tools."  Things really got out of hand when people started planting phony checks and giving out false clues as to where to find them.  The station claimed that when a hint sent searchers to Hennepin and Lyndale at rush hour, 20 policemen were required to keep order, a statement the police department later disputed.  Herb Oscar Anderson remembers a guy with a mobbish accent who would call him at home and offer to "split it wich ya" if HOA gave him the location of the check, which was disconcerting to the DJ to say the least. Odds against find the check were estimated at 47 to one.  Nobody found the check in the appointed time, and a $500 consolation was awarded to one of the estimated 200,000 searchers. 

Other stations followed suit, with what Jim Ramsburg called "Forced Listening" contests that required listeners to remain glued to their radios for clues or catch phrases.  During the same ten days of WDGY's contest, WCCO's $250,000 Cashorama promotion gave away money if the station called a listener who knew a key phrase that had just been given out over the air.  Bob Montgomery became "Big Bill Cash" and his job was to call eager listeners.  An article in Variety commented that listeners were probably going crazy listening to the same records over and over again on these stations, waiting for their phone number or the magic phrase to come up. Only $37,000 of the possible jackpot was eventually given away. 

One strange consequence of the giveaways is that WDGY started running ads for WCCO.  WCCO's game was to broadcast phrases that listeners would have to repeat if they were called.  So WDGY started to broadcast WCCO's phrases so that listeners wouldn't have to move their dials from WDGY.  Well, WCCO got wise and made up phrases like "WCCO is tops," "3 million Northwesterns listen to WCCO," "I always listen to WCCO," "More people listen to WCCO than to all other Twin Cities' radio stations combined," and "WCCO, good neighbor to the Northwest." 

KSTP's "Treasure Chest Tunes" game gave out telephone numbers for Treasure Chest calls and songs had to be identified.  KEYD offered a $100 government bond if you said "I like KEYD, my country-western station, 1440."

WTCN had several games going.  One announced a telephone number and gave the owner of that number five minutes to call the station and claim the prize.  A variation was when the station told listeners that somewhere between pages 20 and 528 in the Minneapolis phone book or between 20 and 400 in the St. Paul directory there was a mystery phone number.  Listeners would dial numbers at random and ask "Is this the WTCN 1280 secret phone number?"  Imagine how annoying that was.  Will Jones of the Trib laid out the station for that one.  WTCN also had a "money wagon" cruising the streets. 

WDGY also had a contest where people would put stickers on their cars; spotters would note the license plate number of a car with a sticker, it would be broadcast over the air, and the driver would have five minutes to call and claim the cash.  Apparently at the same time, WDGY had a house number game where people had one minute to call if their house number was broadcast. 

 KSTP's S.D. Hubbard called it quits in July, calling it "a cash give-away fracas that has gotten out of hand and become a circus" as quoted in Variety.

In July WLOL expanded its lucky phone number contest, making 10 calls worth $1,000 each for 11 days.

The giveaway fad abruptly ended in August when the FCC frowned upon the practice in a letter to WDGY's Todd Storz, who was applying for another license.  WDGY ended the contests and the rest of the stations followed suit.
 

ELVIS THE PELVIS

Although Elvis's career started in 1954 and he had some records on the country chart, he didn't have a record on the main Billboard charts until March 3, 1956 with "Heartbreak Hotel."  Many people who were around at that time attribute this to be their first exposure to rock 'n' roll, and is on Dawson and Propes' list of candidates for the first rock 'n' roll record.  Their other candidate for 1956 was "Blue Suede Shoes" by Carl Perkins.

In April 1956, Elvis was booked into the New Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas, where he bombed - and was the butt of jokes thereafter.  He got even.

On May 13, 1956,  Elvis performed two shows in the Cities and bombed. Bill Diehl reports that the 2:00 show at the St. Paul Auditorium drew only 800 fans, and the 8:00 show at the Minneapolis Auditorium drew a paltry 1,300. Mothers Day and tornado warnings kept the crowds away, and local booking agent T.B. Skarning lost his shirt. Elvis gashed his head with a broken guitar string at the St. Paul show, and Colonel Parker yanked opening act Augie Garcia early, afraid he was stealing the show.  But DeDe Smith, Timi Anderson, and Suzie Olson, three young reporters for the St. Louis Park H.S. Echo had nothing but good things to say about their hero Elvis, whom they got to hang out with before the concert. Sample interview: “He said he didn’t mind girls wearing jeans – ‘Ah just like girls.’” They also reported:  "As time progressed, Elvis acquired a good case of stage fright.  He paced the floor, twitching.  His hands were cold, and he occasionally leaned on a wall or a person, whichever was handiest."  The set was only 26 minutes long, with nary a word to be heard above the screams, but according to our teenage reporters, "nobody seemed to care that he couldn't be heard.  Just to see him was enough." Elvis came back again in 1971 and 1976.

On May 15, in an open letter to Elvis, Bill Diehl in his Sunday Pioneer Press column called Elvis “nothing more than a male burlesque dancer.” “Why, Elvis do you resort to your ‘Pelvis Presley’ routine? You’d better drop it before more people drop you. Of course, there’ll always be a few crackpots to screech, ‘Oohh, Elvis’ when you do your hip-wriggle bit. By now you should know that in show biz nothing grows in dirt. Clean it up - and you’ll probably clean up."

November 21, 1956 ad in the St. Louis Park Echo:  Park Drug, Lake Street and Dakota Ave.:  "We Carry all Elvis Presley Records." 

 

Vol. 1, No. 1 of dee jay Magazine came out in April 1956.  Right off the bat, there is an editorial about how records should be kept to 2:20 or less.  Reasons are vague:  "If variety is the spice of life it is also the lifeblood of radio and television.  Records with a running time of three minutes or more do not contribute to the best in effective programming.  Although the length of time may be no criterion as to whether it will reach hit status, we think that 2:30 is the limit to which the disk jockey should be reasonably expected to publicize a records."  The recommendation was that records to be played on the radio and jukeboxes should be subject to an industry-wide standard - records for "consumer" use could be whatever the "diskery" chose.  Read into that what you will.

dee jay Magazine also gave record recommendations, in the categories of:

• Popular - Georgia Gibbs singing "rock 'n roll," Patti Page bowing to the r&b trend, and all the other usual suspects except maybe "Rock Island Line" by Lonnie Donnegan and "Long Tall Sally" by Pat Boone
• Rhythm and Blues - Lavern Baker, the Robins, Ray Charles, The Platters, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, The Coasters, Little Walter, B.B. King
• Country and Western  - Elvis is on this chart, along with early Jerry Reed, Chet Atkins, Webb Pierce, Carl Smith, Marty Robbins and Kitty Wells
• Jazz.  This one's funny.  A Hollywood DJ advises "If you don't know music, stick to the top ten."  "If you're just starting a jazz show, don't make the common mistake of going 'Way Out' with the wild stuff.  This is often caused by over enthusiasm and the desire to please your listeners....Balance your show with good commercial sides by Sinatra, the Hi-Los's, Carmen McRae, etc.  Don't play anything you don't understand, and most important, I think, is some actual knowledge of music.  If you don't have it, stick with the 'Top Ten' and don't try to play jazz."

Excelsior Amusement Park held its annual Teenage Jamboree on May 11, 1956.  Entertainment was by Chuck Eddy's Orchestra.

The May 16 St. Louis Park Echo proclaimed "Elvis Presley Hits Top."  "With spring's arrival, new record releases appeal to the 'be-bop glasses and blue suede shoes' set."  "New records will please the lover of ballads or blues, vocal harmony or instrumentals."   

Favorite songs listed were:

• "Strange Love" by the Native Boys (with a South African influence) (an obscure but nice choice)
• "Mr. Wonderful" by Teddi King
• "Joey Joey Joey" by Billy Eckstine
• "Roving Gambler" by Tennessee Ernie Ford
• "Rock Island Line" by Lonnie Donnegan
• "Standing on the Corner" by the Four Lads - enthusiastically nominated for the theme of Steve Cannon's Girl-Watchers' Club.

Easy listening/instrumental favorites were "Midnight Blues" by Nelson Riddle and "Port au Prince."
 

On June 18, 1956, the Minneapolis Tribune published a photo of Carlotta Carly and John Wade "Dancing the Bop" at a dance at the Phyllis Wheatley House to the music of (S. Stanley) Berry and His Barons.  Very cool.

"Following a mid-1956 showing of 'Rock Around the Clock' in Minneapolis, a group of teenagers had snake-danced around town, breaking windows.  The movie's run was immediately cancelled.  When Minneapolis radio station WSPT [?] banned Elvis Presley records later that year, the station received several threatening phone calls.  A rock was thrown through the station window with a note saying:  'I am a teenager - you play Elvis Presley or else we tear up this town.'"  (From The Day the Music Died by Larry Lehmer, 1997.)  WSPT is licensed to Steven's Point, Wisconsin and was never a Minneapolis station, so this story needs some clarification.   

St. Louis Park Senior High School opened in the fall of 1956. Things got off to a rough start, as the Minneapolis Star reported:

It all started…when an early-morning disk jockey [WDGY's Herb Oscar Anderson] plugging "Oscar Socks" urged students to don knee-highs of one design left leg, contrasting design right leg. Girls responded in droves…But Principal Edward Foltmer…suppressed the fad promptly. "We’d be opposed to any distracting influence at school," he explained with a cautious smile. "We can’t allow bizarre clothing." A bag lunch protest last Friday, with many girls wearing black and spurning the school’s hot lunch, followed. Boys at St. Louis Park High came to the girls’ rescue. "The boys wore their shirt tails out in protest after we weren’t allowed to wear Oscar Socks," student Elaine Smedberg said. "But the administration made ‘em pull the shirt tails in. So the boys hiked up their pants, wore them around their ribs. Then a week ago, about 15 boys peroxided their hair." Next morning, "the kids hissed the principal and started singing 'Chain Gang' in school," other girls reported.

The School’s student council came to the rescue and calmed the situation down. The PTA put a teenage dress code on its next agenda. Oh, and it wasn't Sam Cooke's "Chain Gang;" in 1956 there was another song with that name, with two versions on the charts by Bobby Scott and Len Dresslar.  Oddly (or not so oddly), the Park High Echo did not report on the incident.

Ray Anthony appeared at the Prom Ballroom on September 7, 1956.

WDGY Disc Jockey Herb Oscar Anderson was interviewed in the St. Louis Park Echo on October 24, 1956.  "Andy"''s familiar greeting was "Hi ya gang, it's a lovely day today."  Anderson worked at KSTP before coming to WDGY.  He said that WDGY's Top 40 lists were more in tune with actual popularity, since they were based not just on record sales but juke box plays and requests from various establishments including hotels and night clubs.  His favorite pop singers were Elvis, Eddie Fisher, and Fats Domino.  He, his wife Terry, and son Johnny were new residents in the Park. 

1957

On January 17, 1957, Alan Freed and the "musical" "Rock Rock Rock" appeared at the Tower Theater in St. Paul.  The show included the Moonglows, the Flamingos, Chuck Berry, Laverne Baker, and Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers.  The show was on the same bill as the movie "Naked Gun." 

At the Boulevard Beauty Shop at Minnetonka and Dakota, one could get an “Elvis Presley Haircut” for a mere $1.50. Described as “carefree, short, and brief – just like you. See it in Life Magazine.”

The Excelsior Amusement Park Teen Jamboree featured Dick Davis's Orchestra.  Meanwhile, mom and dad danced to Jerry Dibble's Orchestra at the Prom Ballroom. 

Pat Boone, the Four Lads, and the Fontane Sisters were in town in June 1957.

Bermuda shorts were all the rage for guys, advertised at Fantle Bros./Cook's at Miracle Mile in St. Louis Park in June for $7.95. 

Deane Wenger of 1409 Kentucky Ave. in St. Louis Park was a WLOL Lucky Car Call Winner in July 1957 for listening to WLOL in his car.

It was pandemonium when Ricky Nelson played the Minnesota State Fair.  He played to approximately 25,000 fans from a stage erected "a zip code away in the center of an enormous racetrack,." according to biographer Philip Basche. Also appearing were the Four Preps, who dressed in silver lame jackets in order to be seen, but all eyes were on Nelson, who wore a cream colored jacket, white and burgundy polka dot shirt, and a white tie.  With a limited repertoire, he also sang numbers by Elvis and the Everly Brothers. 

Both Kay Bank Studio and Soma Records were started in 1957.  See article in Spike Magazine. The site features what appears to be the solo appearance of Steve Wahrer of the Trashmen demonstrating how to do the Bird on "American Bandstand."  Cool!

WDGY DJ Bill Bennett hosted a weekly Wednesday Teen Time Dance at the Prom Ballroom.  In an aircheck on www.radiotapes.com he says that 1,500 teens attended last Wednesday, and he thanked Gene Vincent.  The Gene Vincent?

The WLOL Big 5 disc jockeys hosted the Royal Crown Cola Teen Roller Party at the Pastime Arena in St. Louis Park, Sundays from 2-5 pm, according to October and November 1957 music surveys.

WDGY DJ Stanley Mack was the first disc jockey ever to appear at a St. Louis Park High School dance, announced the Echo on November 6, 1957.  The Charity Ball was sponsored by tenth grade homeroom 332 in the gym, with proceeds earmarked to the Hennepin County Tuberculosis Association.  "This record dance is more dressy than a sock hop, but less than a semiformal," chairman Carol Gross explained.  "Mr. Mack will bring 50 free records to the dance which he will give away, using his 'magic spot method,'" said entertainment chairman Myra Shiff. 

1958

In February 1958, the "Four Laddies" performed on the local show "Record Hop" (see Rock 'n' Roll TV Shows below).  These youngsters were St. Louis Park students Joanne Spillcke, Judy Phelps, Sandy Hagen, and Chris Stewart.

On March 2, WDGY disc jockey Stanley Mack was "fired" for playing a "shock record" that management had banned.  The record was called "Dinner With Drac" by John Zacherle.  After he announced that he had been canned, the kids jammed the switchboard and called his house.  (The paper reported his St. Louis Park address the next day.)  General Manager Jack Thayer called it a "terrible record...  Mack went on the air at noon and he must have played that thing eight times in a row.  I heard it on my car radio and I just blew my stack."  After Mack got the sack he continued to play it until Program Manager Bill Armstrong took over the program.  The March 2, 1958 Minneapolis Sunday Tribune put a good cap on the story:  "One Mack fan, a 15-year-old Sue Glad, complained to the Tribune, 'This isn't the first time WDGY has suppressed a song.  They never did play "Short Shorts."'"  WDGY jock Jim Ramsburg tells us that it was all a publicity stunt:  "If memory serves correctly, it happened on a Saturday.  I was working at the station that day - the GM, Jack Thayer, was also there and it was his idea.  Stanley Mack began playing the song repeatedly and Thayer somehow (not directly) got the word to a young reporter at the Tribune.  She came running over to the station and we all played it straight that Stan had 'locked himself' inside the studio.  (The studio door did have an electronic lock controlled by a switch inside the studio, but it could also be opened from the adjacent control room.)  The story wound up on the front page of Sunday's Tribune.  On Monday a Tribune editor called Thayer and berated him for 'taking advantage' of the reporter and vowed that the paper would ban all mention of WDGY in its news section in the future."  

In March 1958 WLOL hosted the Royal Crown Cola Bandstand at the Marigold Ballroom, with DJs Dan Anderson and Don Dahl, Sunday afternoons from 2 to 5pm.  Admission was 50 cents and open to teens age 16 and over.  "It's the swinginest!"

The Storz Stations, which included WDGY, hosted a Pop Music Disc Jockey Convention and Programming Seminar, March 7-9, 1958 in Kansas City.  These Disc Jockey conventions came to be known as hotbeds of sex, booze, payola, and rock 'n' roll.  Topics for discussion included "How to Run Profitable and Successful Record Hops," "The Ingredients for Today's 'Formula' Radio," and "Is Rock and Roll a Bad Influence on Teenagers?"  The beauty part is that it was free, underwritten by the record companies.  Says so right on the registration form.
 

THE SACK

In 1958, an unfortunate fashion fad was the "sack dress," also known as the chemise.  Apparently a 20's look was the intention, as it was accompanied by a flapper headband and (ugh!) tights.  Gerry Granahan wrote a song about it called "No Chemise, Please!" that reached #23 on the charts.  On March 5, 1958, Bob Possehl, reporter for the St. Louis Park Echo, had this to say:

Males Veto Modern Modes

 

Nowadays the only way you can tell which direction a girl is walking is by looking at the point on her ducktail and assuming that she is moving the opposite way. 

 

She does try to overcome the handicap of "sack" dresses, lovingly called chemises, by using her new pointed shoes to "lead the way home."

 

How can she possibly adore something that disguises her womanly attributes as a paper sack would an hour glass?  Is this feminine logic?

 

She even covers her legs with such shocking stockings that it's hard to look at them without sunglasses.

 

Most of the boys are in favor of returning to the "good ol' days" when sheaths and curly locks distinguished members of the fairer sex.

A couple of weeks later, Sue Berstein retaliated with an article entitled "Females Frigid to Fanciful Fashions," decrying the boys' fads of loud plaid vests and pants with the buckle in the back.
 

The place to go for records in St. Louis Park, as early as 1954 (perhaps as early as 1951), was Don Leary "Drive In" Appliances at Miracle Mile.  In 1958, E.F. Sandberg bought Don Leary’s store for his son Don to operate, and it became Don’s Records and Hi-Fi. The Grand Opening, held on April 24-26, 1958, featured 12,000 records and offered orchids to the ladies and candy for the kids. (Men apparently never got anything at these Grand Openings.) Appearances were made by Disk Jockeys Roy Carr (WTCN), Jim Boysen (WLOL), and Stanley Mack (WDGY). Beverly Reinicke, who had worked for Don Leary for the last 3 years, was announced as an employee of the new store. An ad in the April 23, 1958 St. Louis Park High Echo announced the grand opening with much hep cat patois.

On April  25, 1958, Alan Freed's Big Beat show rolled into Minneapolis.  On the bill that night at the Minneapolis Municipal Auditorium were 17 acts, including Buddy Holly and the Crickets, Chuck Berry, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, the Diamonds, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Frankie Lymon.  Tickets were $2.75.  In 2006 local musician Sherwin Linton sold a poster of the event to a collector for $20,000. 

The Edina Record Center held its Grand Opening in June 1958.  This "newest and finest suburban record and hi-fi shop" was located at 5011 France Ave.  Over 100 prizes were given out, with the grand prize a Webcor Hi-Fi Console.

KRSI radio debuted in June 1958, but it promised "no long commercials, soap operas, kiddie shows, rock 'n' roll, 'top 40,' or 'over-enthusiastic' disk jockeys," reported the St. Louis Park High Echo. 

Percy Mayfield performed at the Labor Temple on July 3, 1958.

In the fall of 1958, Pastime Arena manager Larry Tobin came before the St. Louis Park City Council to request permission to hold a public dance at the Arena on October 3 from 10-11:30. Only Councilman Jorvig voted nay. Subsequent dances were approved as well, including the Twin City Teen-Dance held New Year's Eve and advertised in the St. Louis Park Echo newspaper.
 

1959

On Wednesday, January 28, 1959, the ill-fated "Winter Dance Party" came to the Prom Ballroom in St. Paul.  The show was mc'ed by WDGY DJ Bill Diehl who had also mc'ed the show on January 25 at the Kato Ballroom in Mankato.  Local band the Del-Ricos, which included Darwin Eckholm (aka Donald K. Martin), opened the show.  In addition to Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and the Big Bopper, who died in a plane crash six days later, the show featured Dion and the Belmonts and Frankie Sardo.  At the Prom was a crowd of 2,000 people, including a lot of screaming girls.  On the day the musicians died, Bill Diehl did a three-hour show on WDGY playing nothing but songs by the three young stars.

Bobby Vee, a Fargo kid, put together a band called the Shadows and performed at the Moorhead show that night.  Later that year he came to Minneapolis to record "Suzie Baby" on SOMA Records.  It was re-released on Liberty Records and broke the Billboard charts on August 31, 1959, reaching Number 77.  His next record only charted to 93, but then "Devil or Angel," a cover of a song by the Clovers from 1956, hit Number 6 in 1960 and he was on his way, charting 38 records during his career.

St. Louis Park High continued to demonstrate its squareness in a February 4 article in the Echo about Frankie Lane (sic).  That's Frankie Laine to you and me.

Junior Miss at Knollwood Plaza held an Open House on April 2 & 3, 1959. Advertised were door prizes, entertainment, disc jockey broadcasting direct from store, refreshments, and informal modeling.  In the April 15 issue of the Echo, reporter Dede Smith told of the appearance by the Kingston Trio, "dressed in Ivy League clothes and spouting the latest 'Frisco jazz talk."  The Kingston Trio had performed at Northrup Auditorium on April 3 and were scheduled to appear at Southdale the Saturday after the 15th.   
 

Excelsior Amusement Park held its 20th annual Twin City & Suburban High School Jamboree on May 8, 1959.  "10,000 students attended last year."

WLOL-FM featured dance band music on Fridays and Saturdays, according to an article in the June 4, 1959 Echo St. Louis Park High School newspaper.  "We're promoting a better brand of music because we believe that most teenagers are getting tired of rock 'n' roll," a spokesman said.  Really?  Eight Miracle Mile merchants sponsored the program.

In October 1959, one Rick London appeared before the St. Louis Park City Council to request a permit to promote a dance for young people in the area. The request was tabled.

KDWB, “the Good Guys,” went on the air on October 1, 1959 as a top 40 station. As part of their promotion, they sold ads to rival WDGY (which had gone Top 40 back in 1956) and other stations for a product called "Formula 63."  Free samples at Snyder Drug Stores revealed what the "product" really was.  See a good piece on the KDWB/WDGY rivalry from KARE-11 News.
 

Rollie Williams was a presence in St. Louis Park for many years. From November 1959 to November 1960, Northwest Guitar and Organ Studio (aka Northwest Guitar and Accordion) was located at 3699 Joppa “under personal supervision of Rollie Williams.” The company's Minneapolis office was located at 6436 Penn Avenue South. On November 18-26, 1960 the store had an open house at its new location at 4520 Excelsior Blvd., this time called Rollie Williams Music Company. It became R.W. Music Co., and was at that location until about 1974.

WDGY sponsored a contest to win an interview Troy Donahue, who was at the Nicollet Hotel promoting his film "A Summer Place."  St. Louis Park High student Susan Fuehrer was a winner, and brought her sister Mary with her for the exciting event.

No rock 'n' roll was played on radio station WMMR, which was broadcast from Coffman Union at the U of M to the dorms.  Park senior Irwin Gold a/k/a Dean Curtis reported that its repertoire was easy listening and swing.
 

1960

The Fendermen consisted of Phil Humphrey and Jim Sundquist, from Madison, Wisconsin.  Amos Heilicher was their agent.  On May 15, they appeared at the Minneapolis Auditorium with the Johnny Cash Show.  Other performers were Johnny Horton and Kitty Wells.  The Fendermen were booked at the last minute because of their skyrocketing popularity in the Twin Cities.  "Muleskinner Blues" (written in 1931 by Jimmie Rodgers) was originally released on Cuca Records in 1959.  They re-recorded it in at Kay Bank Studios in Minneapolis and it was released on SOMA  It entered the Billboard chart on May 23, 1960.  The record peaked at #5 and stayed on the chart for 18 weeks.  On June 11, they appeared on American Bandstand.  Lightning didn't strike twice, and the two split up in 1961.  The Fendermen were inducted into the Mid-America Music Hall of Fame in 2005.
 

St. Louis Park High spawned the folk group the Diablos, featuring Jerry Roberts on vocals, piano, and ukelele and Vicki Dulac on drums.  The group was on the Mary Jo Tierney TV Show, Judge Wright Talent Show, and played around town at places like Stillwater Prison and mental institutions, according to an article in the Echo in May 1960.

The annual Excelsior Park Teenage Jamboree took place on May 13, 1960.  The ad in the SLP Echo did not name the entertainment.

Dave Brubeck came through town as part of a three-day Jazz Fest at Northrup Auditorium, May 13-15, 1960.  St. Louis Park High reporter Dave Perlman interviewed Brubeck, who said that the album "Time Out" was written by his brother Howard, with accompaniment by the New York Philharmonic.  Critics did not like the song "Time Out," which had a 5/4 beat patterned on African rhythms and took three years to write.

The "Biggest Show of Stars" came through the Cities in 1960, with 10-12 acts including Frankie Avalon, the Paris Sisters, and Cliff Richard.

Comedian Shelley Berman performed at the Minneapolis Auditorium on October 21, 1960.

The Limelighters and comedian Mort Sahl performed at Northrup Auditorium in the fall of 1960.

Skirts at the knee were considered too short by some St. Louis Park High School boys.  Really??

 

ZIMMY AT THE U

From a blog by the Minnesota Historical Society:

Thanks to Minneapolis resident Cleve Pettersen, the original recording of what fans and music buffs know as the “Minnesota Party Tape” is now available for the first time to the public at the library in the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul.  Pettersen was just a teenager in 1960 when he bought his first reel-to-reel tape recorder and spent a lot of time in coffeehouses in the Dinkytown neighborhood near the University of Minnesota. Pettersen wanted to get a local folk singer to sing songs into his new recorder and asked some local musicians who would be willing. A young Bob Dylan agreed to be recorded.  Pettersen went to an apartment [711] on 15th Ave. S.E. in Minneapolis and hung out with Dylan, Bonnie Beecher, and “Cynthia”- another local musician and friend of Dylan’s. Pettersen set up the recorder and Dylan casually sang 12 folk songs into it.

Petterson has been the sole owner of the original tape ever since – until he made the decision in 2004 to donate it to the Society for all to enjoy. ”The surfacing of this original recording should correct all the rumors and speculation circulating on the Internet and within the circles of Dylan followers and music critics,” said Bonnie Wilson, curator at the Society. “Citizens donating historically significant items and artifacts, such as this recording, have enabled the Society’s collections to grow and make rare works accessible to all. ”The play list includes: “Blue Yodel No. 8,” “Come See Jerusalem,” “San Francisco Bay Blues,” “I’m a Gambler,” “Talkin’ Merchant Marine,” “Talkin’ Hugh Brown,” “Talkin’ Lobbyist,” “Red Rosey Bush,” “Johnny I Hardly Knew You,” “Jesus Christ,” “Streets of Glory” and “K.C. Moan. ”The original tape is copied onto CD and cassette formats and is now available for listening at the library free of charge. Making copies of the recording will not be allowed.

                               
                                        Apartments where "Minnesota Party Tape" was recorded

Dylan lived in a couple of places at the U, including the Sigma Alpha Mu Jewish fraternity at 928 SE 5th Street.
 

1961

Record Lane was the house record store at Knollwood Plaza in St. Louis Park in 1961-62, M. Swaetz, prop.

On the subject of records, in the January 18, 1961 Echo, Park High reporter Linda Weiner wrote "LPs Offer Wide Variety of Subjects, Albums Range from Bernstein to Buddy."  She meant Buddy Hackett, not Holly. In fact she mentioned no rock 'n' roll at all.

Folk music was all the rage, and St. Louis Park High had a group called the Statesmen, consisting of Dave Kushner, Jeff Liebo, Chuck Enestvedt, and Steve Hobart.

1962

In February 1962, Ray Colihan booked the Beach Boys at Big Reggie’s Danceland for $400, before anyone had ever heard of them. Between the time they were booked and the time they arrived, however, they had a big record out that was #1 on WDGY. Thousands of kids showed up, and Colihan was afraid they would tear down the roller coaster.

The Kingston Trio appeared in town on February 22.

The Chad Mitchell Trio also performed in February, at Macalester College. 

WDGY sponsored a 17 lap (50 mile) run around Lake Harriet on February 17, 1962.  The run was inspired by JFK's famous phrase, "with vigah!" 

Jerry Lee Lewis, possibly touring with Fabian, Bobby Vee, and Faron Young, was in Minneapolis on April 22, 1962, the day that his three-year-old son Steve Allen Lewis (named for the entertainer) accidentally drowned in the family pool at his home in Memphis.  It was Easter Sunday.

Acts at the State Fair Grandstand included Dennis Day, Jane Russell (did she sing?), and Jimmie Dean.

Brothers Jerry and Irv Trestman opened Trestman Music Center in South Minneapolis in 1962. It later moved to St. Louis Park, at 5600 Excelsior Blvd.  Irv died in 1985 and Jerry sold the business in 2007.
 

From 1962 to 1964, Dayton's Department Store in downtown Minneapolis sponsored a teen dance in their 8th Floor auditorium.  T.J. Skinner attended every Saturday, and said it was extremely popular because it featured live bands instead of records.  Billboard Magazine announced that the 1964 shows would be simulcast on WDGY starting on April 4.

Bobby Darin was in town in October 1962.

On October 21, 1962, Twin Cities folk group the Yeomen recorded an LP called "Session One:  The Yeomen."  The four 17-year-olds from Edina had been friends since third grade:  Bob Finkenauer, Jack Otterness, Keith Critchlow, and Don Bennett.  The record was a Minneapolis Junior Achievement project, and the recording engineer was David Hersk.

In December 1962, look in the sky for KDWB's Santa Copter!

If you believe the Echo, ukuleles were popular in late 1962.

Dickey Lee played the Marigold Ballroom on December 26, 1962.

In a feature about where to hear folk singers around the country, Life Magazine's December 14, 1962 issue reported that the Chad Mitchell Trio would be performing at Freddie's Downtown from December 31, 1962 to January 12, 1963.  It also recommended the Padded Cell (near beer) and Le Zoo (sing alongs). 
 

1963

"Six Days on the Road" by Dave Dudley made its debut on the Billboard pop chart on June 8, 1963.  The song was recorded at Kay Bank Studios. Released in mid-May 1963, went to Number 2 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart that summer. The record peaked at Number 32 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached Number 13 on Billboard's easy listening chart. From the web site above:

Songwriters Earl Green and Carl Montgomery were a pair of over-the-road drivers for Robbin's Floor Products in Tuscumbia, Alabama, who made a regular six-day run to Pittsburgh with a load of floor tile. With a guitar along for the ride, the pair penned a factual account of their experiences, as they consumed amphetamines ("little white pills") to stay awake and tried to dodge ICC inspection stations ("I'm a little overweight and my log book's way behind"). The song's gear jammer jargon also refers to specific truck models ("Jimmy" is a nickname for GMC, while "White" was a popular brand now owned by Volvo) and driving techniques ("Georgia overdrive" is a slang term for neutral). Greene and Montgomery recorded a demo of "Six Days on the Road," which they slipped to Cajun singer Jimmy C. Newman during a visit to the Grand Ole Opry. Newman didn't think the song suited his style and had Nashville publisher Jimmy Key pass the tape on to their mutual friend Dave Dudley, in Minneapolis, who stashed the song in his guitar case. The last minute addition also worked to the strength of teen guitar sensation Jimmy Colvard, who did his best Duane Eddy impression .

On July 23, 1963, KDWB promoted a concert by Ferante & Teicher at Metropolitan Stadium, playing the exciting themes from "West Side Story," "The Apartment," "Cleopatra," and "Exodus."

On August 2, 1963, the Beach Boys played at the Prom Ballroom - their first appearance in the Twin Cities, although not their first in Minnesota.

Acts at the State Fair Grandstand included Rosemary Clooney, the Smothers Brothers, and Buster Keaton.  At KDWB's Teen Danceland, performers were:

• Rooftop Singers
• Rhythm Masters
• The Yeomen
• Libby Horne
• Paul & Paula
• Smothers Brothers
• James Darren
• The Galaxies
• The Corvets
• Mike Waggoner and the Bops
• The Starliners

Johnny Mathis played the Minneapolis Auditorium on November 15, 1963.

KDWB presented the annual 13-hour Thanksgiving Hop on November 29 at the Minneapolis Armory.  Admission was $1 donation at the door with net proceeds donated to Cerebral Palsy.  It went from 10 AM to midnight.  Appearing were:

• The Ripchords
• Lou Christie
• The Pixies
• Vic Dana
• Diane Rey
• Debby Dovell
• Tim and the Galaxies
• The Belmonts
• The Corvettes

Special Attraction Lou Riegert and the Troops - and all the swinging gentlemen of KDWB.

In 1963, WDGY DJ Bill Diehl was the mc at a Halloween dance at the St. Louis Park Roller Garden featuring The Trashmen, who had released their national smash hit, “Surfin’ Bird” earlier that month. Expecting about 800 kids, an estimated 2100 showed up. The enthusiastic crowd pushed in the building's glass door, and Diehl had to call the police department and hire 5-6 members of the local constabulary to keep the peace. Even at only $2 a head, money was made hand over fist, stuffed in wastebaskets and whatever they could find.  Diehl had promoted the dance in partnership with his brother, who was a plastic surgeon.  So much money was made that his brother was ready to quit his practice and keep promoting dances, but the next three turned out to be flops, so he returned to facelifts.  Notes on the Trashmen:

· Despite their landlocked situation, three of the four band members actually did go to California, where they absorbed the Dick Dale sound and rode the waves.

· The famous album cover in front of the trash truck was taken at Wally McCarthy's Lindahl Olds at 494 and Penn Ave. where scenes from “Fargo" were later shot. It’s now Best Buy headquarters.

 

· "Surfin' Bird" entered the Billboard Charts on December 7, 1963 and stayed there for 13 weeks, peaking at #4. The song was originally to be called "Surfer Bird," but Bill Diehl suggested that "Surfin'" leant a little more action to it.  The B-side was "King of the Surf," the best surfin' song of all time.  Writer Larry LaPole never went to California but wrote his songs from a pamphlet of surf terms.

 

· "Bird Dance Beat" (b/w "A-Bone") charted on February 8, 1964 and stayed for seven weeks, peaking at #30. 

 

· A third release, "Bad News" b/w "On the Move" hit the Billboard Bubbling Under charts on May 16, 1964, but by then the Beatles had hit and surf was over.  A planned tour of the UK had to be postponed but they finally made it in 2010. 

1964

Bill Diehl coordinated the WDGY Winter Carnival Spectacular, which drew 20,000 people: 16,000 inside the St. Paul Auditorium and 4,000 outside. It was the largest crowd in the auditorium's history. Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs was one of the acts.

Timothy D. Kehr began his career as a booking agent, music reviewer, record producer, magazine publisher, and more.

Dove Records was briefly located in a building at 6217 W. Lake Street in St. Louis Park, from spring 1964 to early 1965.  A compilation of Dove recordings is called Free Flight.  The St. Louis Park site was too small and the operation was moved to Bloomington.

Beatlemania hit big when the Fab Four crossed the pond and appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964.  Local reviewers in the TV Times could hardly think of enough synonyms for "trash."  But some got on the bandwagon; in the February 22, 1964 edition of the TV Times there were extensive ads for Beatle wigs at two drug stores and a Ben Franklin in Wayzata.  Plus there was a coupon for 50 cents off on said Beatle wig.  On February 15, KDWB's Ed Rudy was the station's Eastern Correspondent covering the Beatles' first American tour.  KDWB's music survey for March 14, 1964 advertises the Beatles Closed Circuit TV show on the giant screen, March 14 & 15 at the St. Paul Auditorium Theatre and the Minneapolis Armory.  Tickets were $2 and available at Field-Schlick and Melody Music City.   

1964 was the breakout year for the Chancellors, which included two members from St. Louis Park:  David Rivkin and John Hughes. The other members were Mike Judge and Dan Holm.  In October 1964 the band recorded their famous version of "Little Latin Lupe Lu" and also "YoYo" at Kay Bank Studios.  Rivkin was associated with three major Twin Cities bands, starting with four years with the Chancellors.  In 1965 David left the Chancellors to join the High Spirits In late 1968, David moved to join Stillroven. Now known as David Z, he had two brothers:  born Robert Rivkin, Bobby Z is a musician and producer, most famous for being Prince's drummer as a member of the Revolution. Steven E. Rivkin is a film editor and producer. 
 

On April 10, 1964, the St. Louis Park dance team the Parkettes hosted the River City Talent Tournament at the Minneapolis Auditorium. Professional acts included Jimmie Rodgers and the Big Three, a group from Greenwich Village featuring Cass Elliot. The Castaways (pictured right) placed first in the rock and roll category, beating out the Blazemen from North High.

The Castaways consisted of Richard Robey, Robert Folschau, Roy Hensley, Jim Donna, and Dennis “Ludwig” Craswell. Denny's the one on the bottom, looking like he was about 12 years old.  He is also kind of my cousin.  They won the $50 prize with “(Turn On Your) Love Light.” This big win led to professional jobs, press interviews, and more, essentially launching their career. The band went on to have a huge monster national hit (“Liar Liar,” written by Jim Donna and Denny Craswell and produced by Timothy D. Kehr).  "Liar Liar" entered the Billboard chart on August 14, 1964 and stayed there for 14 weeks, peaking at #12.  Unfortunately, their followup, “Goodbye Babe,”  didn't fare as well - it entered the Bubbling Under chart on November 13, 1965 where it stayed for only two weeks and made it to #101. 

Nevertheless, the momentum of “Liar Liar” was huge, and in '65 they went out to California to appear on "Where the Action Is," "The Lloyd Thaxton Show" and "American Bandstand." In 1967 they were even in a beach movie called “It’s a Bikini World.” (Only afterwards did the Beach Boys advise them never to do a beach movie.) The group performed on many rock 'n' roll TV shows - when they played on "Hollywood a Go Go," Roy Hensley ruptured a tonsil.  Hensley died in 2005.

Gary Gimmestad remembers the Castaways on a float in the Aquatennial Parade doing "Liar, Liar."  "It may have been the same year that Jan & Dean were in the Aquatennial parade riding skateboards pulled by a car on tow-ropes. I also saw the Castaways performing at a dance (1968?) in the gym of Incarnation (Catholic school) in south Minneapolis. It was most memorable because the Castaway's drummer had metal pans on a couple of his drums which contained the flames from burning lighter fluid during the climax to the only live version of he Beatles' 'A Day in the Life' I've ever heard."
 

The PTA at Brookside Elementary School in St. Louis Park sponsored a Hoot-nanny at the school carnival on April 11, 1964. Those who could sound like the Christy Minstrels (presumably the New Christy Minstrels) were encouraged to participate. Seven ponies were available for riding, and the prizes included transistor radios. Other activities included a trading post, country store, chuck wagon, merry-go-round, make-up booth, candy peg board, and a fish pond.  One of the musical participants was the newly-formed Jaguars, all students of Brookside School.  

Seen practicing their "British Invasion" song list are Bobby Rivkin on drums (age 8), Stephen Rivkin, Craig Schadow, and Gary Oxman, all on guitars and all age 12.  The honed their skills playing dances at the old Community Center, Central Jr. High Canteens, and possibly the Roller Garden.  Bobby, of course, went on to play with Prince and the Revolution, and Stephen became a big Hollywood film editor.  Older brother David Rivkin was already making his way through some classic Twin City bands.  Read more about the Rivkins here.   Thanks ever so much to Craig Schadow for the photo.

In the Spring of 1964, Dove Recording Studio was opened by Don Peterson and Darold "Arv" Arvidson.  This was strictly a recording studio, not a record label.  At first it was located in St. Louis Park, on Lake Street, diagonal from the High School in a small office building (where exactly?).  The Novas recorded "The Crusher" there.  Another band that recorded there was the Surfers (although Robb Henry of the Surfers remembers recording in a small house south of Minnetonka Blvd. between Texas and Louisiana in 1966-67.)  The facility proved to be too small, and in early 1965 it was moved to 98th and James Ave. in Bloomington.  Rival studios were Candy Floss and Kay Bank.  Dove closed its doors in 1970, selling the equipment to Warren Kendrick, who started Audio City studio.  A compilation of unreleased Dove recordings called "Free Flight" was issued by Get Hip Records in 1998.. 

Jayne Malana, an assistant to Dick Shapiro remembers:

In (I think) 1964, although I don't remember the date, the Beach Boys played the Armory. After the show, we (the five band members -- Brian, Carl, Dennis, Mike and Al, and their manager, who I think was their father, and I) went to dinner at Giovanni's on Hennepin Avenue. They were staying at the Inn Towne Motel near the Greyhound Station. I dropped them off there that night and went home like a good girl. The next morning I picked them up and drove them to the airport in my mom's '53 Plymouth. There must have been another car, too, but I don't remember it. I still have a picture strip of Dennis Wilson and me in a photo booth at the airport that day. Dennis left his sport coat in the car and I kept it for years. My mother finally got rid of it.

On June 5, KDWB presented The School's End "Battle of the Bands in the Round!"  with Gregory Dee and the Avanties, the Jades, the Lancers, the Mystics, and the Wanderers.  At Aldrich Arena "on St. Paul's East Side." 

A huge Country/Western show was held on July 11, 1964 at Met Stadium, featuring Marty Robbins and Red Foley, with 20 other acts including Sheb Wooley, Tex Williams, Johnny Bond, and Bob Luman.

June 12, 1964: The Rolling Stones performed at Danceland.  There are so many versions of this story that I've made a separate page for the event. 

On July 14, KDWB sponsored a "Super Collossal Midsummer Hop!" aka "Battle of the Bands in the Round" at Aldrich Arena.  Appearing were:

• The Underbeats
• Keith Zeller and the Starliners
• The More-Tishans
• The Tremadons
• The Sting-Rays

In 1964 Danny Stevens and his band (Danny and the Night Sounds) entered into a battle of the bands contest at Minnesota's Teen State Fair. Competing against 400 other groups, Danny and the Night Sounds took first place in the massive contest. Later that year, Danny started a new band, this time calling it "Danny's Reasons."

Dayton's Department Store's teen concerts got so popular that it formed a "Top Ten Teen Club."  Mark Riley remembers: 

It required a "membership card;" it definitely existed in Spring 1964 (height of Beatlemania); it was a Saturday event held in the Dayton's auditorium; it probably offered record-purchase discounts for "members;" it may have had a WDGY disc jockey on-site during the show (possibly even live broadcasts OF the show); it definitely distributed "current chart" information, possibly the 'DGY chart of the week.

 

What I'd like to know is: whose idea was this club -  Daytons' (or WDGY)? How long did it last? Just '64 or longer? Any personal or publicity-photos of events to which you may have access? Was it a "success" for Dayton's in terms of record or other retail sales traffic? What brought it to an end?

T.J. Skinner, who was a local roadie and attended all the Dayton's shows from 1962 to '64, attributed the demise to gang fights.  See Twin Cities Gangs for more on this interesting subject.
 

An aircheck from www.radiotapes.com in 1964 tells us that there was indeed a simulcast, and that admittance was by club card only, which was free at the teen department at Dayton's.
 

In July 1964, WDGY brought Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs ("Sugar Shack") to Danceland.

Jan and Dean appeared at Parade City in a big show for the Aquatennial on July 17, 1964, sponsored by WDGY.  Other acts were Johnny Cymbal, Johnny Nash, Betty Everett, Jerry Wallace, the Initials, and new singing sensation Frankie Randall, with his song "Girls in Summer Dresses."

The state fair included a Teen Fair for the first time.  The first live band to play was called the Casualties, who started out with "Hello Josephine."  The Casualties eventually became the Sir Raleighs.  The Lancers and Michael's Mystics also played at the Teen Fair that first year.  Acts at the Grandstand included the New Christy Minstrels on the same bill as Anita Bryant, and Al Hirt with John Gary.

The Gestures' big hit, "Run Run Run," hit the Billboard chart on November 14, 1964 and had an 8 week run, peaking at #44.  The Gestures hailed from Mankato and featured Dale Menten, Gus Dewey, Tom Klugherz, and Bruce Waterston.  Despite their big success (the record was played on "American Bandstand"), the band broke up in 1965. Menten went on to enjoy a successful career in music. 

WDGY gave away tickets to a Beatles concert in Chicago on September 5, 1964.  But they also advertised an album of Beatle songs as mangled by the Hollyridge Strings.  Oh why?
 

On December 16, 1964, religious radio station KUXL changed its programming to Rhythm and Blues. See Radio Stations below.

 

"Out:  Dances like the hully gully, in which partners kept their distance and did their own thing, are not as popular now.  They had their peak in 1964 when the discoteque was the dance atmosphere."  So sayeth the Minneapolis Tribune on December 21, 1964.  What did they know?  Shown are hully gulliers Mike Andreas and Jane Ingram of Wayzata, photoshopped with magic marker.  One correspondent remembers a dance called the Funky Four Corners.  How did that go?
 

1965

Local group the Escapades played their first job on New Year's Eve, opening up for Chuck Berry at the St. Paul National Guard Armory. The Escapades pretended to be British, sporting Beatle wigs and accents. Fellow musicians weren't fooled but their fans were - at least for awhile. 

1965 saw the High Spirits become major players in the local music scene. Over the lifespan of the band, it included up to six residents from St. Louis Park. Click for detailed information about this (mostly) St. Louis Park band.

January 9, 1965: The Novas debuted their seminal recording, “The Crusher.” 230 lb. lead singer Bobby Nolan lived on 44th Street, just over the St. Louis Park line in Edina. The band had been previously known as the Avons. The record was distributed on the Parrot Label (same as Tom Jones) and reached number 88 on the charts, appearing on the radar for three weeks. Apparently some in-fighting resulted in this genuine masterpiece not reaching #1.  The real Crusher was wrestler Reggie “The Crusher” Lisowski, who hailed from Milwaukee and performed on "All Star Wrestling," straight from the Calhoun Beach Hotel on Channel 11. Leave it to Doug Spartz to find Bobby Nolan, who recreated his masterpiece as he was inducted into the Minnesota Rock/Country Hall of Fame on April 27, 2007.  Alas, the Crusher died in 2005.


Louis Armstrong worked hard at the Upper Midwest Auto Show, doing two shows a day for ten days, January 8-17, 1965.  Tickets were $1.50, but available for half price at Super Valu stores. 

Weather prevented Bobby "Blue" Bland from making a KUXL-sponsored dance at the Marigold Ballroom in March 1965, but a local musician was found to substitute, admission price lowered, at the event still drew 2,600 people. 

Larry O'Connell says the best Battle of the Bands took place at Aldrich Arena during the summer of '65:  noon to midnight!

The Beatles came to town on August 21, 1965 and had a terrible time.  See their separate page for the details. Meanwhile, out here in the suburbs, Archie Walker had a Beatle wig (made by Hoigaard’s out of dyed mops) placed on the revolving Beetle at his Volkswagen dealership in homage to the visiting moptops.  That summer you could get imported British clothes at J.W. Stephens in downtown Minneapolis.
 

The appearance of the Beatles created a huge market for guitars at local music stores, as every guy suddenly wanted to become a rock ‘n’ roll star, mostly for the chicks. At B-Sharp, guitar sales quintupled, jump starting the local music renaissance here in the mid 1960s. See a poster for B-Sharp on Robb Henry's blog.

The second Teen Age Fair was held at the Minnesota State Fair. Grandstand shows included an odd pairing of Dixieland and Motown with Pete Fountain and Mary Wells.  Roger Miller also appeared with the Ray Charles Singers, who were not to be confused with the Raelettes.  Their hit was the lovely "Love Me With All Your Heart."

Horror producer William Castle made an unlikely appearance at a party at the Cascade 9 to celebrate the premier of an unnamed movie at the State Theater, according to Nancy Nelson's column in the Twin City a-Go-Go magazine, August 1965.

Dan Holm of the Chancellors reports that the band provided backup for Jan and Dean in a 1965 show at Danceland.  The group was given the wrong key, but because of their professional musicianship they were able to adapt onstage.

Little Stevie Wonder appeared at Carleton College in August.

Think of Wolfman Jack and you may think Mexico, but Bob Smith as the Wolfman had several ties in Minnesota.  In January 1965, the Wolfman made his first appearance in the Twin Cities when he and record store owner/record label owner George Garrett bought radio station KUXL AM  1570.  The Wolfman did not appear on the air, but he managed the station and from there he recorded his oldies shows he broadcast from border radio station XERF in Mexico.  He didn't own his share of the station for long, leaving the next year.  But in 1974, with newfound fame, he came back and bought a house in Minnetonka.  He made a deal with KDWB to broadcast live shows and also do a syndicated radio show.  That arrangement ended in January 1975.  He was back in 1980-82 to do occasional oldies shows on  station WWTC.  The Wolfman died in July 1995.

R&B station KUXL sponsored an appearance by Ike and Tina Turner at the Marigold Ballroom on August 1, 1965. The appearance brought 5,000 fans, apparently mostly black teenagers.  On September 12, the station sponsored BB King, and also in September the Four Tops, all at the Marigold Ballroom.  See below for more information about KUXL.

The Sir Douglas Quintet played the Prom Center on September 10, 1965.

The Byrds performed in St. Paul in August/September.

The Miss Teenage Twin Cities Pageant aired on September 28, 1965 on Channel 11.

Dee Dee Sharpe and Dick and Dee Dee performed at the Prom in September.  Dee Dee Lee/Sperling was born in Minneapolis.

A new shop called The Losers was opened up downtown next to Music City at Seventh and Hennepin.  Twin City a' GoGo reported "you won't believe it when you walk into the place.  They sell everything!  Contemporary greeting cards, tiki gods, lighters the size of a boulder, rare coins, and they even have an art gallery.  The proprietor is as unique as his establishment.  His name is Hal Krieger and he states that the motto of The Losers is, 'Where madness is a way of life.'" 

The Strangeloves and the McCoys appeared at the Prom Center in St. Paul.

Billy Joe Royal performed at the Prom the first week of October 1965, but attendance was low because there were a lot of homecomings that weekend. Backing him were local act the Marvelous Marauders.

Bob Dylan appeared at the Minneapolis Auditorium on November 5, 1965. The Twin City a' Go Go reviewer was not impressed, calling the music "tedious, uninspired, and harsh."

On November 19, 1965, the "KDWBeach Boys" performed at the Minneapolis Auditorium.  Also appearing were the Gentrys, the Strangeloves, and the Castaways.  Ticket prices were $2.50, $3.50, and $4.50.  Roland Anderson reports that the concert was great and sent us this radio commercial for the event.
 

A December 1965 issue of the Westwinds newspaper of Westwood Jr. High reports that Granny dresses, though not exactly functional, are one of the fashion statement one sees lately.

1966
 

The Kingston Trio performed on January 18, 1966.

WDGY sponsored a WDGY Spectacular on Sunday afternoon, January 30.  It was held at the St. Paul Auditorium as part of the 1966 Winter Carnival. Performing were the McCoys, Bobby Goldsboro and an Indiana group called the Boys Next Door.  Also on the bill were the Marvelous Marauders.  Marauder Jerry Cadwell is looking for information about the event, including newspaper accounts, other performers, and anyone who might have been directly involved with organizing the show.   

Dudley Riggs moved his Brave New Workshop to 2605 Hennepin in late '65/early '66.  The satire repertoire group was started in 1961.  In a Twin City a' Go Go interview, Riggs revealed that he had opened a coffeehouse in 1958, but in 1959 it became a haunt of beatniks, to Riggs' consternation. 

An April 1966 issue of the Westwinds newspaper from Westwood Jr. High in St. Louis Park announced that paper dresses were in this spring.  Not available in stores yet, these wild colored dresses could be had through the mail. 

Marcia from Marcia and the Lynchmen reports that they were one of the teen bands highlighted in the St. Paul Pioneer Press Pictorial Magazine, June 5, 1966, “Those Teen Bands.” The article was entitled “Behind the Twang of the Guitar” and the text was by Bill Diehl.  Maddie Shay scanned her copy for us! 

June 10, 1966 was the fifth annual "School's Out Spectacular" at Aldrich Arena in St. Paul, sponsored by KDWB.  Over 5,000 kids attended the event, dancing to eight bands, including the Ides of March and Dee Jay and the Runaways.  Funds raised went to the Ramsey County Jr. Sheriff''s Patrol for rain coats, hats, and safety signs.

In the summer of 1966, Dayton's sponsored a month-long "Youthquake Explosion" series of concerts in their 12th floor auditorium.  On Saturday, May 7th, 1966 (1:30-2 & 3:30-4pm)  Lou Christie was one of the performers of that series, backed by the Marvelous Marauders.  Marauder Jerry Cadwell reports that it was the first time he ever saw a man put on makeup (the dressing room was in the employee's men's room) and it kind of freaked him out! The Seeds and the Electric Prunes also played at Dayton's that year.

Don Betzold reports on the time KDWB DJ Jimmy Reed spent (a reported 21 days) on top of a flagpole in downtown Minneapolis starting on July 5, 1966.  "It wasn't really a flagpole. It was a small shack hoisted on a small tower on the corner of 9th and Nicollet . I stopped and visited him one morning, and he lowered a Bob Dylan album for me. Although he broadcast his morning show from there, there were reports that he went inside the adjacent Young-Quinlan-Rothschild building at night. I don't recall if he spent 21 days up there, but it was a while."  A KDWB "Fabulous Forty" survey that Don donated to the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting called the shack a "four-story-high flag pole playhouse."  John Pratt saved an article from the Minneapolis Star reporting that four hoodlums set the crepe-paper wrapping on the 40-ft. pole on fire.  Reed slept through the whole thing.  The stunt was in conjunction with the Aquatennial, the paper reported.

The Animals and Herman's Hermits played the Minneapolis Auditorium in July 1966, written up by Dave Mona in the Minneapolis Star/Tribune.  The opening act was the local band The Marvelous Marauders. 

The National Ballroom Operators Association awarded citations to the Castaways, the Hot Half Dozen, Michael's Mystics, and the Underbeats for being outstanding, neat and danceable bands. 

The Young America Center was featured at the State Fair.  Chad and Jeremy walked out of the Fair after finding out their performances would be in the teen pavilion rather than in the Grandstand. They found they were booked to play three shows a day in a hastily-erected tent, on the bill with local groups, to teenagers who got in for free. The graphic at right was found in the negatives of WCCO-TV, leading us to believe it was a pretty big brou ha-ha.  The real Grandstand shows were the Supremes with Jerry Van Dyke, and the Smothers Brothers with George Kirby.

 

"Where The Action Is" came to Minneapolis for the Aquatennial in July 1966 and aired on August 16.  The only act that performed in Minnesota (Lake Calhoun) was Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, who lipsynched "See See Rider/Jenny Take a Ride" and "Takin' All I Can Get" from a pontoon boat in the lake.  The other acts were in other geographical settings:  Brenda Lee was in California ("Bye Bye Blues" and "I'm Sorry"), Keith Allison was in Tokyo ("Brown-Eyed Handsome Man"), Steve Alaimo sang "Hold On, I'm Coming" from Central Park in New York, and Steve and Tina Mason sang "You Got What it Takes" from California.  Clark did his intros from the lake, and showed a turtle race and karate exhibition.  Bullwinkle sold Cheerios and kids were encouraged to buy Stridex pads for "excited skin."  Although Paul Revere and the Raiders were not in the episode, perhaps they taped a performance there for future airing:  supposedly they were the victims of an airplane strike and were stranded in Minneapolis for two days after filming.  Their song "The Great Airplane Strike" resulted.  The show is now available on DVD:  Where The Action Is Volume I at www.thevideobeat.com - check out the Rock 'n' Roll TV section.

In the August 22, 1966 issue of Newsweek, Dayton's was named the "swingingest spot in Minneapolis" due to the series of "Super Youthquake" back-to-school concerts in the 8th floor auditorium.  Performers included Simon and Garfunkel, who were spotted at the Triangle Bar after the show; the [Chad] Mitchell Trio; and the Yardbirds on August 5.   See a collage of pictures about the Yardbirds show on Robb Henry's blog.  One fan who attended the show reports that Twiggy was there and the girls got free Yardley lipsticks. There is an ad for the shows in the '60s chapter of a book about Dayton's. It features a picture of a guy with a cape on a motorcycle, but the print on the calendar is maddenenly too small to read.  One legible name is Roger Nelson, a designer who showed his London Mod collection.  Dayton's put on six shows like Youthquake a year, costing $30,000 to $50,000 each.

        
The photo above of Jimmy Page of the Yardbirds was taken by John Morris and posted to the Old Minneapolis Facebook page. The photo at right is also from Facebook.

Miriam Makeba played the Guthrie on September 12, 1966.

In an October 1966 interview with the Underbeats in In-Beat magazine there is a telling paragraph:

"The group agreed that the rise of quality pop music has revived this country's interest in rhythm and blues but their interest is not desegregated. They pointed out that, ironically, it is difficult for Negro R and B bands to get jobs in the Twin Cities. This, they said, was because many places in the Twin Cities won't serve or hire Negroes. 'A lot of really good Negro musicians can't even get in groups because the group is afraid that if they take them, they won't get jobs.'"

The Temptations played the Marigold Ballroom on October 16.

The Mamas and Papas played the Minneapolis Auditorium on October 19, sponsored by KDWB.  Dave Brady and the Stars opened the show.

The Cyrcle appeared at the Prom Ballroom on November 2.

Ray Charles played the Minneapolis Auditorium on November 6, 1966.

The Lovin' Spoonful played the Minneapolis Convention Center on November 27, 1966.

December 26, 1966 was billed as the "Biggest Dance in History," held at the Minneapolis Auditorium, Convention Center.  On the bill were the Fabulous Flippers, the Electras, the Underbeats, the Del Counts, T.C. Atlantic, the Castaways, Michael's Mystics, the Accents, and more.

Sonny and Cher were scheduled to perform at the Minneapolis Auditorium on December 30.

1967

KUXL hosted the Impressions at the Marigold Ballroom on January 22, 1967.  Also appearing were the Amazers.

Acts at the WDGY Spectacular (in conjunction with the Winter Carnival) included Paul Revere and the Raiders, Roy Head, Tina Mason, Steve Alaimo, and Keith Allison - most from the show "Where the Action Is."  Emcees were Johnny Canton and Scott Burton.




WCCO-TV aired this picture of Gary Lewis and his new wife, so we presume the happy couple were in the Cities on March 11, 1967, but there's no guarantee.

The Raiders may have returned to the Cities during the weekend of March 24-26.

Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash and the Carter Family, the Statler Brothers, and Carl Perkins played the Minneapolis Auditorium on June 22.  Poster below from Hennepin County Library Special Collections.



James Brown - "Mr. One-Man Riot" - played the Minneapolis Auditorium on April 25.

The Turtles played the Prom on May 3 and August 16.

The Surfers - local band with members from Hopkins and Minnetonka - made a record in a private home studio in St. Louis Park.  See Robb Henry's blog for a brief history of this short-lived band.

Vice President and Mrs. Humphrey attended a Minneapolis Symphony Ball on May 6 in Southdale's Garden Court.  "For the swinging ball-goers there was more lively dancing to the Underbeats in a separate room," reports The Music Scene.

An article in the Music Scene commented on how Twin Cities audience don't applaud performers.  One guess is that the Scandinavians don't want to bring attention to themselves.

On May 20, 1967, Dayton's Department Store sponsored a second "Sensations '67" show. Local heroes the High Spirits appeared with the likes of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band (which included Elvin Bishop on guitar and Mark Naftalin - son of Mpls. Mayor Naftalin - on keyboards). Music Scene promised that the psychedelic show would transform Dayton's 8th Floor Auditorium into an "'environmental envelope' of another time, space, and place." Shows were at 12, 2, and 4.

May 22, 1967 was the date of the first Connie Awards, thought up, organized by, and named after Connie Hechter, jazz drummer and editor of the  T.M.C. (later Connie's) Insider. 325 industry insiders attended the formal ceremony at the Sheraton-Ritz Hotel in Minneapolis, emceed by Charlie Boone. The nominees for best band were Danny’s Reasons, T.C. Atlantic, the Underbeats, the Hot Half Dozen, and the Del Counts. Winners were determined by the Midwest Academy of Contemporary Music. The Del Counts won best band that first year. Here's a U Tube Del Counts recording of "With Another Guy."  Also see pictures.
 

In May, the “Psychedelic Sound-Burst” took place at Aldrich Arena. The show, emceed by KDWB’s Charlee Brown and Earl L. Trout III, featured the Grasshoppers, the Del-Counts, Danny’s Reasons, the Chancellors, the Hot Half Dozen, the Litter, the High Spirits, the Youngsters, and the Happy Days. The concert promised the world's best light show - the Fillmore Light Show.

Tommy James and the Shondells played the Prom Ballroom in June.

The Del Counts never made an appearance on any of the national charts, but they had regional success in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. On June 3, 1967, one of their songs, a cover of "What is the Reason," went to #4 on the KDWB Radio Big 6 Plus 30 chart, and #13 on WDGY Radio 1130's 30 Star Survey. That record was also mentioned as a Breakout Single in Billboard Magazine's May 27, 1967 edition. Local teens also fondly recall their rockin' cover of "Let The Good Times Roll."

Danny's Reasons appeared on Bill Carlson's show "This Must be the Place" on June 10, 1967.  On the show Danny crowned "Miss 16:" are you out there Miss 16?  Here are some pictures of the band on the show, courtesy of the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting.

                                                                                                                                      
A third "Sensations '67 was scheduled for June 17. This may be the show Rich Hanson planned as “School’s Out Book Burning Blast.”

On June 25, the Beatles appeared on a BBC program "Our World," which was broadcast to 31 countries and an estimated 500 million people.

Ike and Tina Turner hit the stage on July 10 at the Minneapolis National Guard Armory.  Danny's Reasons was one of the bands on the 5 1/2 hour show. 

Marcia and the Lynchmen were one of the opening bands at the Buckinghams concert when they played in Minneapolis on July 12, 1967.

WDGY persuaded Sonny and Cher to perform as an Aquatennial event at the Minneapolis Convention Hall on July 14.  Stillroven and the Del Counts opened.  From Johnny Canton:

Frankly, It was I who convinced Sonny to appear sans Cher at WDGY's Minneaplis Auditorium concert July 14th. Cher had just suffered a miscarriage a few days prior to our concert and Sonny was reluctant to appear without her, much less leave her. The night before he was to fly to Minnesota, I was on the phone with Sonny at their home. The doctor was with Cher and both Cher and the doctor convinced Sonny it would be OK for him to do the show. I applied some pressure and he acquiesced and came to Minnesota. In order to cover for Cher, I put Sonny on the air and we appealed to our female listeners to "audition" to sing with Sonny at the concert. We had several viable singing candidates and it turned out to be one heckuva show with that twist. It was the first time Sonny had ever appeared without Cher. I nearly experienced suffering from an ulcer considering it was a well-promoted WDGY show and had Sonny not appeared we would have had much egg on our faces.

WDGY sponsored a show by Aretha Franklin at the Minneapolis Auditorium on July 19. Johnny Canton introduced her.

KDWB and the Aquatennial sponsored "Happening '67" at the Minneapolis Auditorium. It was a "three day psychedelic feast," held on July 19-21.  Sheets of brilliant silver mylar and colorful fabrics decorated the auditorium.  The KDWBeat Magazine, August 26, 1967:  "KDWB - Where The Action Is!  For three nights the Jefferson Airplane, Buffalo Springfield, Electric Prunes and Shadows of Night filled the flour city with their flower music.  'Happening '67' was a total experience.  Each group wished they could have stayed longer, but about 11:30 each night, some guy would come in and yell, 'Hey, they're rolling up the sidewalk!'  On Friday all the groups were taken out to Lake Minnetonka for an afternoon on the largest boat on the lake.   Even though most of the people were from California, they were truly impressed.  The groups said they really hated to leave the twin cities. The Jefferson Airplane said that they wished they could have stayed longer, but they had to get out to the airport because someone had written 'Spirit of St. Louis' across the fuselage.  The Electric Prunes asked, 'Is St. Paul really putting Minneapolis on?' And then they were gone."

Marshall Fine, student reporter for the St. Louis Park Echo, wrote a story about the hippie phenomenon and interviewed some of the performers who were here for the Aquatennial.  Sonny Bono:  "Because I have long hair and wear extravagant clothes, to the adults, I'm a hippie.  But to the hippies, I'm not a hippie.  My ideas are too conventional."  Marty Balin:  "Sure, but what is a hippie?  It's just a name.  Adults had to call us something because we were happening and they had to label us something, to prove to themselves that they knew what was going on.  Personally, I think 'hippies' sounds like the name of a breakfast cereal."  Grace Slick:  "It's not that we all walk around loving each other, but we just don't like violence.  That's why there's so much protest of the war in Vietnam.  But we're only human.  We'll argue and get mad just like anyone else."  Fine ended his article:  "Predictions have been made that the hippie culture will die out within the next year.  If so, it will not go unnoticed.  Summer '67 is proof enough of that."

Trestman Music Center's 2nd Annual Battle of the Bands drew 64 bands.

It was the summer of 1967, and the Chancellors were playing at Danceland.  Bandleader Dan Holm remembers that in the middle of "Wipeout," they saw "a group of dancers on the left of the stage, about 20 feet out, suddenly all fall down.  It wasn't at first apparent what had happened.  Dancers around the fallen continued dancing, pointing and laughing.  It turned out that a section of the dance floor had slumped about three feet and everyone who was dancing on it lost their balance and tumbled down. They got up.. and continued dancing.  After a few minutes, Big Reggie came out and had a look at the floor, then asked Dan to please announce for kids to stay off the area in case it collapsed some more.  The band finished the set and the night as if nothing happened.  It was no big deal."  Another version of the story says that the floor fell 11 feet into the basement!

On July 19, 1967, racial unrest erupted along Plymouth Avenue in North Minneapolis. Crowds threw rocks and set fires over two nights. Governor Harold LeVander called in 150 national guardsmen. Three people were shot, two policemen and one fireman injured, there were 34 arrests, and four businesses burned to the ground. A KDWB news cruiser was destroyed and the reporter called in his report from a phone booth.

The Monkees played the St. Paul Auditorium on August 4.  See the Individual Page on the Monkees in Minnesota.

A huge Battle of the Bands took place at the Mower County Fair, August 7-13.

On August 10, 1967 Dayton's St. Paul sponsored a Back to School event that featured the Litter and Danny's Reasons.

KDWB presented "Super Sunday," starting with their third annual Drag Race Festival at Minnesota Dragways on August 20. 10,260 spectators watched 552 cars race, and trophies were presented by Miss Mann Theaters Teenager (where is she now?).   Also featured was a grudge match between Earl Trout and Tac Hammer.  That night at the Minneapolis Auditorium they presented Herman's Hermits, the Blues Magoos, and the Who, who totally wrecked their instruments.  Ticket prices ranged from $3.25 to $5.25, with discount tickets available at Pedwin Shoes at Knollwood.

The Young America Center at the State Fair was the place to be, with performances by the Fabulous Flippers, the Kingsmen, the Sandpipers, and the Jade Set - an Oriental pop-variety group.  Performances ran from August 26 to September 4.  Grandstand shows included the Baja Marimba Band with George Kirby, and Bob Newhart with the Young Americans ("Western Union.")

On September 16, KDWB DJ Earl L. Trout III was jailed for obstructing traffic, and he refused to be bailed out until $10,000 was raised for the Aid for Leukemia Stricken Children Fund.  Read about it in The Beat Magazine, courtesy www.Radiotapes.com


Photo copyright Mike Barich, reproduced with permission

On October 23, 1967 KDWB and Dayton's sponsored a High School pep fest at the bandstand at Lake Harriet.  Ron Block was the mc for the event that attracted 2,000 students, cheerleaders, football players and homecoming queens from 30 schools.  The Dayton's Teen Council put on a fashion show.  Robbinsdale won $100 for having the biggest turnout, which was earmarked for their American Field Service fund.

In October 1967 KDWB sponsored a cheerleading competition where cheerleaders from 20 schools submitted tapes and kids called in to vote for their favorite school.  On the last night there were so many calls that they spilled into other exchanges.

The Byrds performed at the Marigold Ballroom in Minneapolis (and also in Mankato), some time between September 10 and November 10, 1967.

Candy Floss Records took shape in the fall of 1967.  Read about it on Jerry Lenz's blog.

Spanky and Our Gang performed in August at Dayton's 8th Floor Auditorium, and returned on September 21 to perform at the U of M.

In 1967 and '68, Timothy D. Kehr wrote a music column "Musically Yours" for the local TV Digest.

The Everly Brothers played the Prom on October 6.  Also Chicago's The Mob, and the Cities' System.

Nancy Sinatra and the Fifth Dimension participated in a Rat-Pack-type show with Frank Sinatra at the St. Paul Auditorium on October 8.

Tom Pinkert was a freshman living in the dormitories at the U of M 1967-68. "My circle of friends used to go over to the west bank and see a local band called The Paisleys. They performed in a fire trap called Dania Hall circa 1967-68. There was always a psychedelic light show. I just found a clip on youtube from a slightly later era which captures the spirit."

Simon and Garfunkel appeared at Augsburg College on November 10.

Dionne Warwick appeared at the Dayton's Skyroom on November 20.

The Young Rascals played the Minneapolis Auditorium on November 24, fronted by the local band the Nickel Revolution.  NR member Kent Saunders says:  "They were a great bunch of guys, and very supportive of our comparatively rookie status. I even have a Gene Cornish guitar pick, with his name on it, as a memory."  For an eyewitness account, see the Nickel Revolution's blog.

The Shadows of Knight came to the New City Opera House on December 9.

Sergio Mendes and the Brazil '66 and Glen Campbell came to the new Metropolitan Sports Center on December 16.   Mendez had been here previously in the spring of 1966.

Stillroven, the Castaways, and the Litter played a show at the Mayo Auditorium in Rochester.  Part of the Stillroven set was filmed in 8 mm but with no sound.

KDWB presented a Christmas Concert series that featured area high schools on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. Each school presented a half hour concert. 13 schools participated.

Spanky and Our Gang and Janis Joplin with Big Brother and the Holding Company performed at Northrup Auditorium.

Magoo's/New City Opera House hosted two New Year's Eve Party extravaganzas that featured eight local bands.  All those bands and a Magooburger - sounds like heaven!

                          
 

1968

Ravi Shankar performed at the Guthrie on January 11, 1968.  The next day, the Lemon Pipers came to the New City Opera House and Magoos's. 

Buck Owens and his Buckaroos appeared at the Minneapolis Auditorium on February 17.  Now you may say that Buck Owens isn't rock 'n' roll, but the show was advertised on my February 10, 1968 WDGY 30 Star Survey, so here it is.  Also on the bill were Freddie Hart, Tommy Collins, Kay Adams and Wynn Stewart. 

In the February 24, 1968 issue of The Beat, "KDWB Asks YOU To Help Bring The Beatles Back to U.S."  Earl Trout III spearheaded the letter writing effort to get the Beatles back.  At issue was the promise of the audience to be quiet so the music could be heard.  The goal was to send Trout to London with a million cards, letters, and petition signatures.  Alas..
 

On March 8, 1968, WDGY sponsored "Super Scene '68."  The show was at the Metropolitan Sports center and was mc'd by WDGY DJs JJ Bowman, Jerry Brooke, Scott Burton, and Johnny Canton.  The list of performers was impressive:  Wilson Pickett, the Hollies, Strawberry Alarm Clock, and many local acts including the Nickel Revolution, Del Counts and Michael's Mystics.  Read an account of this monumental event on the Nickel Revolution's blog.

The Temptations played the Minneapolis Armory on April 7, 1968.

An Easter Fair took place April 9 to 14, 1968 at the Minneapolis Auditorium, and featured the Electric Prunes and Blue Cheer, two of the noisiest national bands running.  Another band was The Mob, and local groups the Underbeats and Perspectives were slated to appear.  Also there were the gentler Buffalo Springfield -- and Pat Paulson, who was running for President for the first of six times.
 

Cream performed at the New City Opera House on May 5, 1968. The show was fraught with problems – the band was late, the equipment didn’t work, the show was less than an hour, and one report was that the musicians made out like they were doing the audience a big favor – but the music was superb. Our reviewer said the show was “worth the agony: the ecstasy was delicious.”  It was rumored that Cream had played so loud that a structural beam in the floor had cracked and split. John Ebert reports that they jammed next door at Magoo's after the show.  "I was on Nicollet Avenue near Lake Street and went into a club just by chance (it must have been Magoo's) and when I got to the band room, The Cream threesome were in there playing to an empty room. From time to time, a person might come in and would leave, but for the most part I recall myself being the only person present for their jam. Ginger Baker was kicking a double bass drum-kit. The room had a very low ceiling, black walls, and a few unnoteworthy colored lights for illumination. I can only attribute the lack of people as the band must have wanted to practice and play in relative secret. Of course, the other people present were Jack Bruce and Eric Clapton."

Tom Pinkert reports:  "The city had been flooded with counterfeit tickets and we had gotten ours.  Security at the door was lax and aside from a surly look from the ticket taker everybody got in -- and I mean everybody, that place was jammed. I remember it so well because we found a place to sit directly in front of these gigantic speakers, and once we got there moving away from them was impossible. There were some warmup bands, there was a lot of waiting, and to say Cream played for an hour would be generous (I'd say more like a half hour). It was very obvious Cream was not happy."

Denny Waite remembered:  "It was the place of Cream's only concert, ever, in Minnesota. Hard to believe they played there in the fall of '68, when it was called by the grandiose name, 'New City Opera House' (Zippy Caplan's idea). The story was told by Cream's road manager, who stopped by the Litter house near Lake of the Isles, after the disastrous gig. Arriving early in the day to do a sound check for the afternoon concert, they were royally pissed. The rock megaliths discovered it was just an really old dance hall with a fancy name. They took "Opera House" literally. Being from Europe, where every decent city has one, they looked forward to playing in a great concert hall with wonderful acoustics. The manager told us Cream was very close to not doing the show at all, but relented when they realized they'd be paying the club for breach of contract. The plan was to make their own P.A. system go down at the beginning of the first song. So they showed up an hour late, which gave us (the Litter, in stage hog heaven) an hour and a half to warm up the crowd. Cream's first song was 'Sunshine of Your Love'. On purpose, Clapton started it a fret too high and then a fret too low. Half way into the first verse, the P.A. made a loud buzz and stopped working. They could have used our P.A. but didn't. Cream played the minimum time required per the contract: exactly 45 minutes, but no vocals, no encore, not a word to the totally packed house of adoring fans! I must admit that they sounded fantastic, even on auto pilot, and probably half asleep! Oh well, rock gods are only human, after all. Still, it wasn't nice to spit beer on the audience, Ginger!"
 

Herb Alpert, Blue Cheer and the Castaways (an odd grouping to say the least) played Williams Arena at the U of M on May 11, 1968.  Nearly 17,000 attended.

Other May 1968 shows were the First Edition at the Carleton and Peter Paul and Mary at the Minneapolis Auditorium.

May 27 was the date of the Second Annual 1968 Connie Awards, presented by the Midwest Academy of Contemporary Music and the Insider.  The ceremony was emceed by Bill Carlson of WCCO TV. The Mystics won the best band award over other nominees the Underbeats, Grasshoppers, Stillroven, Del Counts, Litter, TC Atlantic, and South 40. If you've never heard of the Grasshoppers, it's because they never really recorded.  The group was fronted by Jiggs Lee who went on to front Cain.  See scans of the program on Jerry Lenz's blog.

Local musician and man-about-town Arne Fogel recorded a song back in ’68, kind of a Simon and Garfunkel/Chad and Jeremy type ditty called “I Once Had a Dream“ (aka “December Song”), recorded at Dove Studios with fellow singer/songwriter Steven Longman. The record never made it to the big time, but is available from Get Hip Records on a Dove Records compilation called "Free Flight." Arne started his singing career when he was 17, and made his mark singing over 1,500 commercials and jingles. He owns every Bing Crosby record ever released, and shares his record collection on various radio shows.

Not exactly rock 'n' roll, but Tony Bennett appeared at the Minneapolis Auditorium on April 28, 1968.  Zane reports that he was accompanied by Duke Ellington and Orchestra. 

There is an interview of sorts with Peter, Paul and Mary in the May 22, 1968 Park High Echo, so presumably they were in town - no details were given on the date or venue other than the word "auditorium."

Park High Junior Barb Friedman got the chance to made a demo of her songs in New York in June 1968.  Besides singing, Friedman played guitar, piano, drums, tambourine, bongos, harmonica and recorder.  She played for school clubs, community organizations, and at local places like Big B's Pizza at Texa-Tonka Shopping Center.  She also played at the Cafe Extempore and with an Aquatennial traveling group.  She taught guitar at Park Music. 

The Beach Boys played the St. Paul Auditorium on July 9, 1968. Also on the bill were Gary Puckett and the Human Beinz.

Muddy Waters played the Guthrie on July 14, 1968.  See an ad on Robb Henry's blog.

Frank Sinatra and the Four Seasons played a benefit concert for the Citizens for Humphrey Committee at the Met Center on July 16, 1968.

Aretha Franklin appeared at the Minneapolis Auditorium on July 19, 1968 as part of the Aquatennial Teen Spectacular, sponsored by WDGY. Also on the bill were the Mystics and Things to Come. The Blues Cube, formerly Marcia and the Lynchmen, were also scheduled to appear, but Marcia was in a car accident on her way home from a gig in Eau Claire and was in the hospital for a month so they were unable to perform.  The Blues Cube played their final gig at the Prison in Burnsville on August 24.

The Temptations and Martha Reeves and the Vandellas played the Minneapolis Armory on August 6, 1968.

Dick Clark Action Tours sponsored a "Summer '68 Action Tour for Teenagers," from August 9 to 29.  Stops included Hollywood, Hawaii, and Mexico.  Price:  $775 from Los Angeles.  This ad was in the St. Louis Park Echo, June 4, 1968:

                                                 

By August 13, 1968 Jonny Matthews was playing "Underground Music" on KDWB, 11 pm to 5 am.

Simon and Garfunkel played the Minneapolis Auditorium on August 20, 1968.

On August 23, 1968, the Vanilla Fudge was scheduled to do a show at the Minneapolis Armory, but never showed up.  Local Group the Nickel Revolution opened the show, followed by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart.  Next came bubblegum act 1910 Fruitgum Company, which overcame its nursery rhyme image to pull out a performance that satisfied the crowd screaming for Vanilla Fudge.  Read a great account of the event on the Nickel Revolution's blog.

The First Edition (presumably with Kenny Rogers) played the State Fair Young America Center.  Grandstand shows were decidedly less hip:  The Fifth Dimension with Frank Sinatra, Jr. and Ballet America; Marty Robbins, Sonny James, Hank Williams, Jr., and Connie Smith; and Jack Jones with the National Ballet of Mexico.

Tiny Tim played the Metropolitan Sports Center on October 18, 1968.  David Hicks remembers:  "I was an usher for Bob Sims (who had the ushering concession) from 1966 to 1971 and I saw many of these concerts. The Tiny Tim concert at Met Center was sort of neat to me. He entered the stage (the stage was not at the end of the arena but on the side right in front of the hockey benches) with the lights out from one of the entrances for the hockey team and I was asked to escort him to the stage. He had a wireless microphone which was quite new at the time, and was talking to the crowd in an eerie voice as we entered the arena. There I was walking with Tiny Tim escorting him by the elbow from the dressing room to the stage. For a 17 year old kid it was quite a thrill."  Local band the Sir Raleighs opened up the concert, which also included Joe Tex; Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, and the Young Rascals as the headlining act.

David Hicks again:  "Also in 1968 election night HHH had his election party at the hotel Leamington which had Tommy James and The Shondells playing at one side of the grand ballroom and Sonny and Cher playing at the same time on the other side of the ballroom. What a night. I was about 10 feet in front of the stage when HHH gave his [ever optimistic] speech at about 2:30 in the morning."  Humphrey officially conceded the next day.

A jazz festival at the Minneapolis Auditorium featured Hugh Masekela and Herbie Mann on November 29, 1968.

Andy Williams and Roger Miller played the Met Center on December 6.  Johnny Canton remembers:  "One of WDGY's largest concerts/shows starred then-popular Andy Williams along with Roger Miller at Met Center. It was our Christmas Concert and we filled Met Center. Of course, Andy was the pride of network TV at the time with his weekly show. Miller was no slouch either having had several hit songs. The entire WDGY air staff had a chance to take the stage and emcee. Great evening!"

The Brothers Four appeared at Melby Hall, Augsburg College, on December 7, 1968.  Bass player Bob Flick is now married to Minnesotan Loni Anderson. 

Jimi Hendrix was slated to play the Minneapolis Armory on August 11, 1968, but the date was moved to November 2 at the Minneapolis Auditorium.  See a collage of tickets and photos on Robb Henry's blog. Cat Mother and the All-Night Newsboys opened the show - do you remember their hit?

In his November 18, 1968 column "Musically Yours" in the TV Digest, Timothy D. Kehr writes of the group H.P. Lovecraft. Was this local? Can't find it anywhere. But Howard Philips Lovecraft was a poet and novelist.

The Doors played the Minneapolis Auditorium on November 20, 1968.

Joe Cocker braved a snowstorm to perform at the Prison (at the Burnsville Bowl) in December. Tom Barbeau reports:  "There couldn't have been more than 2-300 hundred people there. Part of it was certainly the weather, but he was also a total unknown at that time. That was a small crowd in that room, as I recall a lot of empty space. My group of 6 or 7 guys who made the trip (packed into a '53 Ford coming from St. Paul, through a snow storm), had no trouble getting to within 20 to 30 feet of the stage with lots and lots of empty space behind us. Everything he had at Woodstock the following August, he showed us there, that night, and the crowd was totally blown away."
 

1969

Local Rock 'n' Roll Disk Jockey Barry McKinna started his career in radio in 1969 at KDWB.  His real name is Barry Siewert, and he is a 1965 graduate of Park High. 
 

4811 Excelsior Blvd. was the address of the La Querida Ltd. Boutique: “body jewelry, suede department, wild wild earrings, mod scarves, all at prices to suit you swingers.”  Strong stuff for St. Louis Park!

1969 was the year that Dale Menten (music) and Frederick Gaines (script) wrote and produced the rock musical “House of Leather.” I was shocked to find a program among my mother's souvenirs! The music was played by the group Blackwood Apology:  Dale Menten, Dick Hedland, Dick Rees, Scott Sansby, and Dennis Libby.  Is that our Patrick Devine in the cast?  The show opened on March 26 at Minneapolis's Cricket Theater, where it played nearly 50 sold-out shows.  It then played in St. Paul at the Crawford-Livingston Theater July 18-August 24.  It was a big hit here in the Cities, but closed after its only night in New York: March 18, 1970 at the Ellen Stewart Theater (off-Broadway). The show was set in a house of prostitution before, during, and after the Civil War.

THE LABOR TEMPLE 1969

The Labor Temple, which had hosted killer rhythm & blues shows in the 1940s and '50s, opened as a rock venue and hosted several concerts in1969.  See a collage on Robb Henry's blog.  It opened on February 2, 1969 under the direction of Community News, a group that had run the light show at Dania Hall.  The club was run by local promoter David Anthony.  Concerts were presented on Sunday nights on the third floor of the hall.

The first act was the Grateful Dead with local band Blackwood Apology performing their rock opera "House of Leather."   

GRATEFUL DEAD SOCK IT TO 2,000 MUSIC LOVERS

The Labor Temple was packed. The audience, mostly late-high-school and college-age youth, completely filled the chairless main floor, sitting or standing. And all other seats and aisles were taken in the balcony. As a preliminary to the Grateful Dead, a local group called the Blackwood Apology held forth for an hour or so with the same sort of electric sound. It came on like just what it was: hundreds of watts of electrified musical power pounding out of great stacks and racks of amplifiers. And above, lights flashed multicolored, changing images of psychedelia on great wide screens. Making it happen was the Grateful Dead, a group billed as the leader of underground rock, as the nationally famed but uncompromised original. The more than 2,000 young people who jammed the Minneapolis Labor Temple to hear them Sunday night took it quite coolly. They liked it, they clapped a lot, and some of them danced. But mainly, they did what you do with this kind of youth art: They experienced it. After a long delay for setting up their nearly 100 pieces of equipment, the Grateful Dead came on with a sound like the end of a bad trip. It was a horrendously penetrating hum from an amplifier gone mad. But when they got the amplifier squared away, they showed that they can play as well as make noise. Using some incredibly complex tempos and fine improvisations, they did the mixture of jazz and rock and folk that - along with the lights and, in some cases, marijuana - has been turning on people around the country for several years.

(from the Minneapolis Tribune, February 3 1969)

Other Labor Temple Shows in 1969 include:

Jethro Tull and Rotary Connection on February 9:  Warren Walsh remembers:

As I recall it was another one of those nasty cold Minnesota nights. It was a Sunday night and there couldn't have been more then a couple of hundred people there. Jethro Tull was just releasing their 1st album and nobody knew who they were [their first US stop]. We didn't care much for the Rotary Connection but it beat sitting around on a Sunday evening. We sat on the floor about 10-20 feet from the low stage. Can't remember the Rotary Connection but Jethro Tull took our heads off! During the break Ian Anderson just stepped down and mixed with the crowd. I remember him sharing some cigarettes with a few of us stand near the front.

Spirit and Mother Earth on February 26
Procal Harum on February 23
Buddy Miles Express with South 40 on March 2
Savoy Brown and Pacific Gas & Electric on March 9
Jeff Beck on March 23
Ten Years After and the Litter on March 30
Aorta, Mojo Buford, and Koerner, Ray and Glover on April 6
Muddy Waters and Sweetwater on April 20
Grateful Dead, April 27
Deep Purple on May 18
MC5 and Cottonwood, September 21

 

Blood, Sweat & Tears appeared at the Guthrie as their eponymous album came out that February.  Warren Walsh:  "I was disappointed as I expected the Al Kooper line-up but quickly forgave them when David Clayton-Thomas powered up." 

Thanks to Jerry Lenz, quoting from the June 7, 1969 issue of the Insider: 

The 1969 Connie Awards on May 19 packed the ballroom of the Pick-Nicollet Hotel in Minneapolis with over 300 musicians and industry personalities who came in their finest threads to witness the selection of the best pop talent in the area as determined by the votes of club and ballroom operators and a triad of musicians.  The audience dined on an eight course dinner and listened to Chess Records' advertising and promotion director Dick LaPalm deliver an informative discourse on the record industry before the Awards ceremonies began. 

 

It was a most colorful and exciting evening.

Charlie Boone was the emcee of the evening.  The Mystics were crowned Best Band for the second year in a row. The Nickel Revolution won Best Single for "Oscar Crunch," a song they weren't particularly fond of.  Thanks to Jerry Lenz of the Nickel Revolution for posting the "Oscar Crunch" and Candy Floss story on his blog. 

Vanilla Fudge played the Metropolitan Sports Center on April 11, 1969.

Peter, Paul, and Mary performed at the Minneapolis Auditorium in May.  Anyone know the actual date?

Led Zepplin played the Guthrie on May 18, 1969 and it was reported to be an Amazing Show.

The Iron Butterfly played the Minneapolis Armory in 1969.  The show was opened by Steve Miller and featured an early use of fire pots on stage.

Johnny Winter and the Holy Modal Rounders played the Guthrie on June 29, 1969.  See a poster on Robb Henry's blog.
 

The Who played the Guthrie, shortly before Woodstock.  They had to add a second show as the 7 pm show sold out immediately.  Gary Gimmestad reports:  "Very near the end and leading up to the much-anticipated destruction and mayhem, Keith Moon slinked offstage while Townsend held focus. As the frenzy came to a fever pitch the floor trap opened and Moon rose out of the pit and circled back to his drums and the real destruction began. However, a stoner approached the stage, walking slowly toward Townsend with his arms outstretched. I don't know what Townsend's thinking was - 'This guy is clearly whacked and potentially dangerous and I should just hand over the guitar,' or 'What the hell, this could be interesting.' He did hand over the guitar and the energy was drained from the stage. It ended in ant-climax."

The KDWB Drag Festival was held on August 3, 1969 - Free!

Steppenwolf played the Minneapolis Armory on August 8.  Rod Wallace remembers:  "I was at that concert and it was the 1st time I heard a headliner mess up the sound system for the opening act. I'm not sure who it was but their sound was terrible. Then before Steppenwolf came on stage they announced that the keyboard player was out sick. So I was expecting a bad set from them also; but when they started playing the sound 'magically' got perfect, and they sounded better than their records."  Also on the bill were the bands Skin Trade and Danny's Reasons.

Something must have gone wrong, because in the next Connie's Insider, it was announced that KDWB was refusing to accept advertising for Danny's Reasons.  From Danny's web site:  "Following a show that the band played with Steppenwolf on August 8th, 1969, KDWB Radio pulled all advertising that had anything to do with Danny's Reasons. This was decided after the The Reasons performed '... Songs which were highly suggestive of off color material...' Club owners and operators grew increasingly nervous; if they couldn't advertise the band that was already booked to play their nightclubs and concert halls attendance would plummet. Though KDWB took a very harsh stance, (going so far as forbidding any employee of the radio station to even attend a Danny's Reasons show) it ultimately had the opposite effect: using the image of 'banned in Boston', the band's popularity continued to sky rocket."

Sound 80 was founded in 1969; it became the first multi-track digital recording studio.

All-girl band the 19th Amendment played at the Teen Fair at the Minnesota State Fair. The Grassroots and the New Colony Six played after their performance.  Grandstand shows continued to be middle-of-the-road (or perhaps even off road):  Buck Owens, Susan Rye, and Billy Walker; Lesley Gore with George Kirby; The Johnny Cash Show with the Statler Brothers; Porer Wagoner, Dolly Parton, Jerry Lee Lewis, Lynn Anderson, Speck Rhodes, and Conway Twitty (whew!); and Pattie Page with Kids Next Door and Don Rice III.

Michael's Mystics hit Billboard's Bubbling Under chart with their local hit "Pain" on August 23, 1969.  It languished there for two weeks, only reaching #116.  My story:  I was making a tape for my dentist and naturally I wanted to include "Pain."  I looked for it in my Billboard Top Pop Singles book and it wasn't there.  How could this be?  It was such a monster hit in Minneapolis.  Couldn't believe it.  Still sounds great. 

On September 18, the Association was scheduled to play the Minneapolis Auditorium, per a

KDWB music survey.

Ray Charles played the Minneapolis Auditorium on November 19.  The show was billed as a

WDGY Thanksgiving Holiday Spectacular, promoted by Arnie Sagarsky of A & A Enterprises.  Sagarski was the force behind the "Purple Cigar" teen dance hall in St. Louis Park. 

Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass played the Met Center on November 21. 

Janis Joplin played the Minneapolis Armory on November 22 to a crowd of 8,000.  Opening acts were local bands Crow and Danny's Reasons.
 

1970

Much music in 1970:
The New Christy Minstrels performed at Northrup Auditorium
The Grateful Dead at the Guthrie
The Band at the Guthrie
Elton John at the Guthrie supporting his first release.  Warren Walsh remembers:  "The first set was just him on the piano. The second set included the full band. What a show."
Leon Russell at the Guthrie
Chuck Berry at the Guthrie (1969 or '70)
Crazy World of Arthur Brown at the Minneapolis Auditorium
The Mothers of Invention at the Cedar Village Theater and the Labor Temple
Doug Kershaw at the Cedar Village Theater
Glenn Yarborough at Augsburg College
Gordon Lightfoot at the Guthrie
Peter, Paul and Mary at the Minneapolis Auditorium

 

LABOR TEMPLE 1970

See a collage of ads from Robb Henry's blog.  Lights were by Nova.

Pacific Gas & Electric and Golden Earring, January 18

John Hammond, Jr. and the Allman Brothers, February 1.  Stephen Pfeiffer recalls:  "It was an ungodly frigid Sunday night (-30 below).  Only around 100 people made it to the show to see an unknown southern rock band play their first show in Minneapolis. John opened, then the Brothers, with the third set featuring both acts jamming together. I do remember having to lock my car with the engine running to ensure my getting home after the show. In the late '60s I was attending the School of Associate Arts on Summit Avenue in St. Paul, and made extra cash by working as a freelance artist. I did some poster art for the Labor Temple, as well as ads for the early Electric Fetus when it was at its original location at 514 Cedar Ave. Because of my 'connections,' I was often able to score tickets to music venues across the Twin Cities. Being a starving artist, it was about the only entertainment available at the time, but it has made for some fond memories."  Thanks for sharing them, Stephen!

Grand Funk Railroad, Flash Tuesday, Bobby Bosser, January 25

Savoy Brown and Daybreak, February 8

Byrds and Teagarden & Van Winkle, February 16

Sweetwater and South Wind, February 22

Youngbloods and S.R.C., March 1.

Country Joe and the Fish and the Rugbys, March 8

Golden Earring and 5th Ave. Band, March 15

Johnny Winter (with Edgar) and Thundertree, March 22

Small Faces and Alice Cooper, April 19

Lifetime with Jack Bruce and Illinois Speed Press, April 26

The Byrds, May 18

Sha-Na-Na and the Mystics, October 4

Poco, October 11

Amboy Dukes and Alice Cooper, November 8 (presented by Joint Productions)

The Mothers of Invention
 

Blood Sweat & Tears at the Minneapolis Auditorium.  Bob Mikkelson was at the Blood Sweat & Tears concert and remembered that John Denver opened and no one cared. When Denver said it was his last number the place cheered. Denver just replied that he was as excited as the rest of us to hear BS&T.

A rock festival was held at the Met Sports Center on March 20, 1970. Featured acts included Canned Heat, Grand Funk Railroad, Buddy Miles, the Amboy Dukes (Ted Nugent), the Litter, Brownsville Station, and the Stooges (Iggy Pop). In all, there were 12 groups that went on for 8 hours, despite decidedly bad acoustics. One concertgoer remembers:  "Johnny Winter was on the schedule - he performed and was unexpectedly joined on stage by Edgar. My favorite part of the concert."

Concerts at the Met Center in 1970 include
B.J. Thomas, Roy Orbison, and the Four Tops (February 6)
Led Zeppelin (April 12)
Crosby, Stills, and Nash (July 9)
Tom Jones (July 19)
Iron Butterfly ( November 13)
Grand Funk Railroad (November 22).

The Depot opened on April 3 and 4, 1970 (see below under venues). An estimated 2300 people came to the club over the first two days to see the Mad Dogs and Englishman tour headlined by Joe Cocker. Johnny Canton was the emcee, and appeared in the "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" film that was made of the event.  That same month, the club hosted the Butterfield Blues Band and Poco. Mojo Buford opened for several shows at the Depot in 1970 - see ads on Robb Henry's blog.

Rod McKuen appeared at the Minneapolis Auditorium on April 17, 1970.  Bonnie Usan, journalist for the St. Louis Park Echo, found McKuen's work "melancholy, dejected, and lonely," good for business, and just a little boring and repetitive.  His basic themes were "his aborted attempts at love, memories of lost animal pets, and the bittersweet pain of being lonely."  She offered up "my mother or two affectionate goldfish."  

The Sound Storm Rock Festival took place on April 24-26, 1970, featuring the Grateful Dead, Crow, and author Ken Kesey.

The Connie Awards presented the only non-musician award to producer and promoter Timothy D. Kehr.

In 1970, records could be found at the Musicland store at Knollwood. The Musicland chain opened in Minneapolis in 1956.

The Slipt Disk was a record/head shop right next to McDonald's on Lake Street, conveniently located to St. Louis Park heads.  Dates of operation are not know, but it was torn down to make more parking space for McD.

Jimi Hendrix played the St. Paul Civic Center on May 3.  The concert (the "Cry of Love" tour) was taped by a member of the audience; read about it here.  Tom Pinkert's dentist sort of remembers that Jimi may have been airlifted into the venue.  Hendrix may have come another time, to the St. Paul Armory - "a very brief show in a very bad room."

Jefferson Airplane played at the Minneapolis Auditorium on May 15, with local – now national - band Crow playing warmup.

The Byrds and the Peppermint Rainbow appeared at the Minneapolis Auditorium on May 18, 1970.  The KDWB hit list told how you could win the Byrds to play at a dance at your high school!  Did that happen?

Neil Diamond played the Minneapolis Auditorium on June 13, 1970.  KDWB issued a flier "saluting" the performance.

Traffic was scheduled at the "Auditorium" for June 21, 1970, as advertised on a KDWB music survey.

The Who was scheduled - also at the "Auditorium" - for July 3, 1970, per a KDWB survey.

Tom Pinkert:  "For some reason during a lunar eclipse I chanced upon Mance Lipscomb playing an outdoor concert somewhere on the west bank campus, must have been summer of 1970."  Cool!

July 8-12, 1970:  Local hero band Crow plays at the famed Whisky A-Go-Go in Los Angeles.  The other band listed was Crucible. 

Three Dog Night performed on July 12, 1970 at the Minneapolis Auditorium, or at least the concert was advertised in a KDWB music survey.  Hank McKenzie remembers a show from that October - same show?  Postponed?  Two shows?

An Open Air Rock Festival was held on July 19, 1970, attended by 6,000 people. Despite a cold, foggy day, the participants enjoyed performances by White Lightning (a local group), Sly and the Family Stone (who supposedly called Minneapolis “worthless”), Illinois Speed Press (subbing for the Amboy Dukes), and Johnny Winter. 150 cops made 20 arrests for gate crashing, etc.

Steppenwolf appeared at the Minneapolis Auditorium on Sunday, August 9, 1970.  Tickets were $4.

Also August 9th was KDWB/63's 6th Annual Drag Festival.

The Rascals played the Minneapolis Auditorium on August 16, 1970.

Acts at the 1970 State Fair were: Jeannie C. Riley ("Harper Valley PTA"), Sonny James, Faron Young, and Jimmy Davis; Bobby Vinton with the Cowsills;  the Johnny Cash Show with the Statler Brothers; the Lawrence Welk Show; Petula Clark, Art Linletter, and the Golddiggers (Dean Martin's chorus girls); and Charlie Pride (with Fess Parker?).

The Judd Group formed in Rochester.  Lead singer Steve McLoone has lived in St. Louis Park since 1981.

Hank McKenzie recalls a memorable concert by Three Dog Night at the Minneapolis Auditorium in October 1970.  "It was memorable because while we were in enjoying the concert, there were a number of disgruntled fans outside who couldn’t get in and the police were called. When we came out of the concert we were confronted by police and told to move on. I explained that we were waiting for a ride home and were to meet our ride in front of the auditorium. The cop told me that I could not meet them there. We ended up walking into downtown to catch a bus back to Robbinsdale where my driver was extremely angry as my friends were 'under age' so to speak. All was smoothed out the next morning when the news came on about the riots at the concert the night before." 

In the fall of 1968 Jim Johnson got back from Viet Nam, rejoined the Underbeats, and they made their way west to Los Angeles.  They were soon playing regularly at clubs on the Sunset Strip and changed their name to Gypsy.  Their eponymous debut album, only the second double album of the era, hit the charts on October 10, 1970, stayed there for 20 weeks, and peaked at No. 44.  The single "Gypsy Queen - Part 1" entered the charts on December 5, 1970, peaking at No. 62.  A second album, "In the Garden," charted on August 7, 1971 reaching No. 173. 

The film "Airport" opened in 1970, starring our own WDGY DJ Johnny Canton!  Well, he had one line.  But without it, Maureen Stapleton wouldn't have known where the gate to Rome was.  The movie was filmed in Minneapolis, and also included local actress Nancy Nelson (billed as Nancy Ann Nelson) as Bunnie, the girl who sold the bomber his travel insurance.  Nancy was a hip chick in the '60s, costarring on "A Date With Dino" (see TV Shows below), writing a column and being the secretary for Twin City a-Go-Go (see Publications below), and doing a stint as the go-go booted "Saturday Night Weather Girl" just before Dave Moore's "Bedtime Newz."  Her debut on local TV was at age 3, where she sang "Good Night Ladies" on "Toby Prin's Talent Show."  While working on "Mel's Matinee Movie" she interviewed Don Stolz and started working as an actress at the Old Log Theater.  She was also “Princess of Prizes” on Don Dahl’s Bowlerama.  She spent a year as Miss Minnesota, and in 1970 she married local heartthrob Bill Carlson.  John Denver wrote "Follow Me" for them and sang it at the wedding (which I think is a little weird if you listen to the lyrics and think of a couple with two big careers).  Danny's Reasons also played at the event.  She and Bill had competing talk shows for awhile until she moved to Los Angeles, commuting home every weekend.  She later became the queen of infomercials, doing almost 100 of them.  She was inducted into the Museum of Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2009, where she declared that as a child she could never stop talking and could memorize anything. 

KDWB advertised two concerts at the Minneapolis Auditorium:

      The Fifth Dimension on October 25
      Mountain on November 1

KDWB's Top 6+30 Chart advertised a Country Music Spectacular for November 28, 1970 at the Minneapolis Auditorium.  Presented by Smokey Smith, the concert featured Stonewall Jackson and the Minutemen, The David Houston Show, Barbara Mandrell, and George Hamilton IV and The Numbers. 
 

1971

Jethro Tull played at the Guthrie on January 4, 1971.

On its 30 Star Survey, WDGY advertised the International Auto Show '71 at the Minneapolis Convention Hall, January 6-10.  Appearing in person would be Tiny Tim & Miss Vicki, Pat Buttrum (sic) (Mr. Haney on "Green Acres"), Barnabus (?), Spider Man, and Donna Wandrey, an actress on "Dark Shadows."

On February 20, 1971, the Met Center hosted Savoy Brown, Small Faces and the Grease Band.  Tickets were $4.  Also on February 20 were professional Motorcycle Races indoors at the Minneapolis Armory, featuring riders from 6 states - added attraction, "Mini" bike races.  Tickets were $2.  Both events were advertised side-by-side on the WDGY Listen List for February 10, 1971. 

“Hair” played sold-out performances at the St. Paul Civic Center Theater in February 1971, then the same cast returned for another engagement in May – the first show ever to be brought back to the Twin Cities for a second run in the same season. The February engagement broke box office records at the venue.

The Gopher State Timing Association presented its 15th Rod and Custom Spectacular at the Minneapolis National Guard Armory (6th and Portland Downtown) on March 5-7, 1971, as advertised on KDWB's Top 36 for that week.

Two of three planned open air concerts were held in the summer of 1971.  The first featured It’s a Beautiful Day, the Allman Brothers, Little Richard, Richie Furay and Poco, and John Baldry. The M.C. was Dave Ray.

The second open air celebration was on June 26 at Midway Stadium and starred The Band.  Special guest stars were John Sebastian, Delaney & Bonnie, the Butterfield Blues Band, Crow, and Muddy Waters.  The concert was advertised on the June 4, 1971 WDGY "Listen List."  The Minneapolis Tribune cited the crowd of 24,000 as the biggest at a single musical event in Minnesota.

August 8 was KDWB's 7th Annual Drag Festival at Minnesota Dragways.

The Jefferson Airplane was scheduled to perform at the Met Center on August 22, 1971, a show that was originally supposed to be the third open air concert. But the concert was cancelled  - by some accounts because the Mayor came out against it and the Bloomington Police refused to work it. There had been two previous shows at Midway Stadium in St. Paul, which were marred by gate crashers.  One of the promoters reports that it was cancelled because someone jumped off a high pole at the second concert.  The three promoters:  Timothy D. Kehr, Harry Beacom, and Walter Bush, had all their money tied up in the third concert and lost "tons of money." 

Elton John played the Minneapolis Auditorium on August 31, 1971.  That year, DJ Barry McKinna was the first person to play a song not on a record in the Twin Cities - a tape cartridge of Elton John's "Crocodile Rock."

Grandstand shows at the State Fair were:  the Carpenters, John Davidson, Della Reese, and the Harmonicats; Sandler & Young; Tammy Wynette, George Jones, Loretta Lynn, Jack Green, Jeannie Sealy, and Roy Acuff; Liberace; Neil Diamond; and Charlie Pride.

Jeff Lonto offers this interesting item:

On September 7, 1971 the Doobie Brothers performed the first rock concert to air live on a Twin Cities radio station.  But the concert was not heard on KQRS; it was heard on WWTC (1280 AM) of all places.

 

WWTC, then primarily a middle-of-the-road music station, broadcast the concert live from Sound 80 recording studio in south Minneapolis.  The show lasted about an hour and fifteen minutes.  Dick Driscoll (who had moved from KQ to WWTC in 1969) interviewed the band.  Driscoll recalls asking them why they called themselves the "Doobie Brothers" when they weren't brothers and none of them were named Doobie.

 

"They looked at me like I was some kind of square," Driscoll recalls.

 

Performing the concert on a 5,000-watt AM station gave the Doobies much needed exposure while allowing minimal risk of pirates "Bootlegging" recordings of the show.

 

A Minneapolis Star article the following day pointed out that the show was unlikely to be bootlegged anyway "because the Doobie Brothers are not an extremely popular group."

On September 21, 1971 there was a Blues and Folk Marathon held at Memorial Stadium at the U of M. Featured performers were Leo Kottke, John Lee Hooker, Fred McDowell, Doc Watson and Son, and Charlie Musselwhite.

Concerts held in September – November 1971 featured John Baldry, the Allman Brothers, Roberta Flack, John Sebastian, Jeff Beck, and BB King.

Johnny Rivers and Fanny appeared at the Guthrie on October 16, 1971. Fanny, four girls featuring sisters Jean and June Millington, were known for their hit “Charity Ball.”

On September 9, 1971, a concert by the Doobie Brothers was performed in the Sound 80 studio and broadcast on WWTC-AM.

Howlin’ Wolf appeared with Chase on September 18, 1971 at the Minneapolis Auditorium.

Concerts held at the Met Center in 1971 include:

Three Dog Night (January 8)  (See also October 15 below)
Savoy Brown & Grease Band & Small Faces (February 20)
the Guess Who ( March 18)
the Grass Roots (April 23)
Tom Jones (June 3)

The Who (August 15).  Various reports are that gate crashers or an influx of phony tickets resulted in bedlam at every entrance, and the Bloomington Police Department used teargas for the first time.  Most of it blew in the cops' faces.

The Jackson Five (September 8)
The BeeGees (September 24)
Three Dog Night ( October 15)  Wolfman Jack was working with Three Dog Night, and Johnny Canton introduced him.
Jesus Christ Superstar ( October 19)
Grand Funk Railroad (October 27)
Johnny Cash (October 29)

Elvis:  An ad indicated that Elvis was scheduled to appear at the Met Center November 5-8, 1971. That was probably a typo.  The book The King on the Road:  Elvis Live on Tour 1954 to 1977 indicates that he performed on November 5 at the Met Sports Center, and that the other dates were spent in Cleveland, Louisville, and Philadelphia.  The only other times he came were in 1956 and 1976.

The Beach Boys (without Brian Wilson, of course) appeared at the Guthrie on November 21, 1971.

1972

Concerts held in 1972 at the Met Center include:
Deep Purple (January 21)
Sly and the Family Stone (February 4)
Joe Cocker (April 3)
Ten Years After (April 19)
James Brown (April 28)
Credence Clearwater Revival (May 5)
Jethro Tull (June 5)
Rolling Stones (June 18).  The concert was marred by gate crashers and teargas, but the Stones were gentlemen. 
Three Dog Night (July 15)
Osmond Brothers (August 19)
Grand Funk Railroad (October 13)
Moody Blues (October 29)
Chicago (November 17)
Deep Purple (December 3).

B.B. King entertained at the Minneapolis Auditorium on August 6.

Gentle Giant opened for Black Sabbath at the Minneapolis Armory on August 28.

State Fair Grandstand shows were:  Sonny and Cher with David Brenner; John Denver with Kenny Rogers and the First Edition; Sonny James, Lynn Anderson, Del Reeves, Tom T. Hall, and Tex Ritter; Bobby Goldsboro, Anne Murray, and George Kirby; Merle Haggard, Sammi Smith, and Waylon Jennings; Neil Diamond; and Up With People.

Leon Russell appeared at the St. Paul Civic Center in September. Or was it the Roy Wilkins Auditorium?  Badfinger opened.

On September 23, a show at the Mpls. Armory featured the Eagles, Gentle Giant, and Yes.

The Beach Boys appeared at the Minneapolis Armory on November 8, 1972. 

Leo Kottke appeared at the Guthrie in early December 1972.
 

1973

In 1973, St. Louis Park resident Jack Volinkaty, 29, wrote the song “Satin Sheets,” which country singer Jeanne Pruett brought to #1 on the country charts for three weeks. The song was also recorded by Bill Anderson and Jan Howard. Volinkaty was an accountant for Univac and lived at 27th and Florida.

Mason Proffit was scheduled to perform at St. Louis Park High for their Sno-Daze concert on February 28, 1973, but not enough tickets were sold to cover his $3,000 fee so he was replaced with local performers not quite so well known.

John Denver performed at the Minneapolis Auditorium on March 23, 1973.

“Dueling Banjos” first hit the charts in the Metro area.  Connie Hechter described how it happened in the Insider.  WCCO got hold of a promotional copy sent out by producers of the movie "Deliverance" and the radio audience flipped for it.  Allen Abrams, sales director of Warner/Elektra/Atlantic Records for the Minneapolis region contacted Warner Brothers in California and told them it was a hit.  Warners issued a single and it went nationwide.  Warners wanted to follow up with an album and discovered an old LP on Elektra by Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandell that was on the shelf.  They redid the cover and that became the "Dueling Banjos" album.  The song was performed by Eric Weissberg and the group Deliverance at O’Shaunessy Auditorium on May 4, 1973. 31 years later he would recreate the moment, this time with Peter Oshtrushko at the Pantages Theater on February 3, 2004.  The song was actually written by Arthur "Guitar Boogie" Smith in 1955, and he sued when he was not credited as the author.

Blood, Sweat and Tears appeared at the Orpheum Theater on February 9.  Hear an introduction to the concert on KQRS at www.radiotapes.com/KQRS.html

The Grateful Dead appeared at the St. Paul Auditorium on February 17.

Stevie Wonder appeared at the Minneapolis Auditorium in June 1973.

The Pointer Sisters opened for Chicago, one Park student remembers.

State Fair Grandstand shows included:  Mac Davis with the Fifth Dimension; Tony Orlando & Dawn with the Brady Bunch Kids; Bill Anderson, Donna Fargo, Tommy Overstreet, Leroy Van Dyke, and Jerry Clower; and the Pat Boone Family, Rich Little, and Charley Pride.

Grand Funk Railroad appeared at the St. Paul Civic Center on October 20, 1973.  Kathy Larson remembers that the opening act that night was Ballin' Jack.

November 11, 1973, was a big night for music, resulting in smallish numbers for each of the shows.  Your choices were:

• The Allman Brothers (opened by Charlie Daniels) at the Met Center
• The Pointer Sisters and Martin Mull at the Guthrie
• Joe Walsh and the Climax Blues Band at the St. Paul Civic Center
  
  Johnny Winter appeared at the St. Paul Civic Center on December 27, 1973.
  
  Concerts held at the Met Center in 1973 include
  Neil Young (January 7)
  Sha Na Na (February 3)
  Guess Who (February 16)
  Santana (March 19)
  Grateful Dead (October 23)
  Loggins and Messina (November 16)
  Doobie Brothers (November 28)
  Emerson, Lake and Palmer (December 1)
  Guess Who and Poco (December 7).
  
  In 1973 or '74 Shawn Phillips performed at St. Louis Park High School.  Phillips was born in Fort Worth, grew up all over the world, and some say had ties to Edina.  Roni Broms Gingold remembers:  "At the concert everyone would yell 'Let down your hair' and he would take the ponytail out."  Roni took the photo below at the concert.
  
  
   

1974

Frank Zappa came to the St. Paul Auditorium in January.  This may be the show that Gary Gimmestad remembers:  "Frank Zappa with Flo and Eddie - truly one of the greatest rock shows ever. The programs for the show were printed on bubble wrap and the effect of the audience randomly popping them was great! The warm-up was a magician who made birds appear and disappear (a local guy I think) and two springboard acrobats. I don't know if this was Zappa's idea or not but it was brilliant. Zappa's guitar skills were clearly evident (much more so than on recordings) and the band was killer. (George Duke on keys?). It ended with "Happy Together' - Flo and Eddie were shirtless with banana peels dangling from their waists."

Led Zeppelin performed in around June.

Cat Stevens played the St. Paul Civic Center in July 1974 - just him, a piano, and a guitar.

A reportedly off-key Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young performed in St. Paul on July 22.

Bob Dylan, unsuccessfully incognito, was spotted at a Ry Cooder/Ben Sidran concert at the Marigold Ballroom.

Joni Mitchell performed on July 28 at the St. Paul Civic Center.

The Jackson 5 performed on August 16 at the St. Paul Civic Center.  A review  indicates that they were not yet superstars.

On August 17, Santana and Leon Russell shared the bill at the St. Paul Civic Center.

State Fair Grandstand shows included:  Liza Minelli; Redd Foxx; Charlie Rich with Jim Stafford; Jerry Reed, Tanya Tucker, Jerry Clower, Judy Lynn, and Hank Snow; Bob Hope with Danny Davis & the Nashville Brass; Jim Nabors with the Hagers; Mac Davis with the Fifth Dimension; Roy Clark; and Helen Reddy with Jose Feliciano.  Paul Metsa also remembers the New York Dolls performing at the Fair that year.  "The Dolls were late, and when they arrived and started playing they were greeted by some with bee4r cans and burning paper airplanes.  They were all wearing eye makeup and the bass player had on a pink tutu and bunny boots."  (Blue Guitar Highway, 2011)
 

In September 1974, Bob Dylan recorded the tracks for his album "Blood on the Tracks" in New York.  During a visit home to Minneapolis, he was convinced that some of them needed to be redone, so his brother David assembled a group of local musicians.  That December, the Minneapolis musicians re-recorded several of the tracks, which were ultimately included on the album, albeit without any credit on the record jacket.  Those musicians were:  Kevin Odegard, Chris Weber, Billy Peterson, Gregg Inhofer, Bill Berg, Peter Ostroushko, and Jim Tardoff.  The Blood on the Tracks Studio Band has reunited several times, beginning with the Million Dollar Bash commemorating Dylan’s 60th birthday at First Avenue in 2001, a sold-out concert at the Pantages Theater in 2004, and its induction into the Minnesota Rock/Country Hall of Fame (now the Mid-America Music Hall of Fame) in 2005.  Also in 2005, British journalist Andy Gill and Kevin Odegard co-authored a successful book  A Simple Twist of Fate: Bob Dylan and The Making of Blood On The Tracks, distributed worldwide by HarperCollins, published by DaCapo Press/Perseus Books, Cambridge, MA. The book is available in local libraries or on websites such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  In 2009-2012, "Blood on the Tracks Live" shows have been presented at the Veterans' Memorial Amphitheater in Wolfe Park, St. Louis Park - and also in Maple Grove in 2011-12.  Throughout the years, numerous local musicians have joined "the family," giving Blood on the Tracks Live a constantly changing look and sound. The band has evolved into a Dylan tribute band, not restricting artist song selections to any one album. Songs from "Blood on the Tracks" were performed, along with songs from many other albums and periods of Dylan's career.

The Band came to the St. Paul Civic Center on September 1.

Elvis appeared at the St. Paul Civic Center in the fall of 1974.  Jon Rukavina remembers driving in from Excelsior and paying $7 for the ticket!

The Guess Who and War performed at the St. Paul Civic Center on August 8, 1974, the night Nixon resigned.  They played to 22,060 fans, the best-attended single concert at the venue. 

Concerts held at the Met Center in 1974 include
Yes (March 5)
Seals and Crofts (March 20)
Bachman Turner Overdrive (May 11)
Ten Years After (May 31)
Cat Stevens (July 6)
Uriah Heep (July 28)
Mac Davis (2 shows August 4)
Steppenwolf (September 29)
Deep Purple (December 9).

October 16, 1974 brought a package that included Golden Earring, Mahogany, and Rush to the St. Paul Civic Center.

We also heard from an anonymous source about Elton John at the St. Paul Civic Center, Oct 31, 1974, Halloween night. "That show is still brought up occasionally in local newspaper music columns. I was there. They sold the place out, probably 18,000, and then sold an additional 10,000 standing room I believe the week of the show or so. Almost 30,000 in the Civic Center that night. Someone having to do with the show got in trouble for fire code violation I believe and that was the last of doing standing room only tickets. It was a madhouse, everyone having fun. Kiki Dee was Elton's opening act."

T.J. Skinner saw the original Lynyard Skynyard band do their 45 minute version of "Free Bird" at the St. Paul Civic Center in 1974 as well as the Rolling Stones.

And speaking of T.J. Skinner, "in 1974, I starred in the rock musical "Tooth of Crime" at the old Cricket Theater.  My poster along with Mike Brindisi, Chanhassen Dinner Theater's Artistic Director/Owner, was all over the Twin Cities and suburbs. The "Rockin' at the Cricket" article and photos was published in a local rock magazine at the time. The show caused a local sensation and I was a local celebrity for a while. I was on Alan Stone's KQRS show, he loved the show, and I appeared on all the local talk shows in costume. It was an amazing thing to shave my head in 1974 when even my conservative father was sporting long hair and sideburns."

At this point my chronology ends, except for the interesting tidbits below. 
 

1975

On October 3-5, 1975, U-100 was one of 200 stations that broadcast the syndicated “Fantasy Park: a Concert of the Mind.”  It was billed as the ultimate rock concert featuring over 40 “super rock stars.” Ads did not elaborate, but Scott Iwen remembered the event:  "It was quite the (semi) hoax. While most people realized that this 'simulcast concert' was in fact just a bunch of songs being played to mimic a three day rock festival, there were some people who were convinced that this sold out concert was really happening somewhere in the Twin Cities and were just trying to figure out where. Everyone from the Rolling Stones, to the Beach Boys, to you name it, was there. The climax of the whole thing was a bunch of clamoring backstage - and sure enough, a full impromptu Beatles reunion occurred! (Funny how everyone’s songs sounded exactly like the recorded versions, not some live set somewhere, oh well.)

"Turns out that this Fantasy Park Studio Production was making the rounds throughout the US. Each weekend some new, unsuspecting city would 'host' this event via a local radio station. The concert would always be halted due to rain on the Sunday morning to allow the locals to get in their regular (usually religious) programming and the whole event always ended promptly at 6 pm on Sunday. It was so popular in the Twin Cities that a return to Fantasy Park was held about a month later. Same radio station, same format, same songs. But everyone now knew there was no 'real' concert to be found.  One more item regarding that 'faux concert' – it was more than just songs being played on the radio, grouped by performer. Fantasy Park had their own MC and special reporters covering the weekend event giving you the 'play-by-play' details along with with some 'behind-the-scenes' updates. Of course there were no interviews, but a lot of 'unplanned' performances arose – for example, I recall the reporter exclaiming how John Sebastian just happened to be at the concert and was then coaxed onto the stage with a borrowed guitar. From a radio station point of view, it was probably a good way to give most of the regulars the weekend off."

The show was produced by KNUS, Dallas. DJ Beau Weaver described:  The 48 hour opus had college students hitchhiking all over America hoping to get to "Fantasy Park." In New Orleans when the concert aired, the IRS came knocking on the doors of WNOE trying to attach the gate receipts to make sure the Feds got their cut!  In 1975 I had the honor of accepting the Billboard Magazine Award for Best Syndicated Radio Special."  An 18 minute demonstration demo can be heard at www.reelradio.com/bw/index.html, but a paid subscription is required.

1976
According to the book The King on the Road (see 1971), Elvis performed at the Met Sports Center on October 17, 1976.  He came two other times, in 1956 and 1971.

Danny Stevens of Danny's Reasons hosted the "Halloween Party of the Year" at his spacious home at 1819 Mount Curve Ave.  Guest list included a number of musicians who were performing in town, including Hall and Oates, Neil Sedaka, John Denver, and Lou Rawls.  200 other guests rounded out the event. 
 

1977
 

David Solberg was born on August 18, 1943 in Chicago.  In the early '60s he was a bank teller in Bloomington and spent his lunch hours at the Suneson Music Center at 1611 E. Lake Street.  As a folk singer he appeared many times on the Merv Griffin Show as "The Covered Man," wearing a ski mask.  He changed his name to David Soul and became an actor, playing Joshua Bolt in "Here Come the Brides" and Ken Hutchinson in "Starsky & Hutch."  In 1976 he formed Band of Friends and recorded "Don't Give Up On Us," which debuted on the charts on January 29, 1977 reached #1 for one week, and stayed on the charts for 19 weeks.  Follow up releases were "Going in With my Eyes Open" (#54) and "Silver Lady" (#52), also in 1977.

1977-85 were big years for Sussman Lawrence. Members, who had all gone to junior high together in St. Louis Park, were Peter Himmelman (lead vocals, guitar), Andy Kamman (drums), Eric Moen (sax, keyboards, guitar, vocals), Jeff Victor (keyboards and vocals) and Al Wolovitch (bass, vocals). The band was known for playing a taped educational message before each performance…just as a joke. The band was featured (with other St. Louis Park band Future Legend) at "Spring Jam '80" on June 1 at the High School Auditorium, a show produced by student radio station KDXL and coordinated by junior Bob Nelson.  They also played at the St. Louis Park Prom in 1983 - "slightly sluggish after a big trip to the East Coast," according to Ian Nemerov of the Park High Echo, but they kept people dancing to songs such as "Torture Me" and "Call me on Monday." 
 

In 1980, Eric Clapton was confined to St. Paul's United Hospital for several weeks for ulcers.  He was on his way to a show at the St. Paul Civic Center when he was stricken.  His manager and his wife, Pattie Boyd, were "stuck in a hotel in Minneapolis with ten feet of snow outside.  Minneapolis in winter is not the most exciting place.  The lake (sic) is frozen and the locals' idea of fun is to drive a car into the middle and place bets when it will sink."  (from Pattie's autobiography) So what's wrong with that, Pattie? 
 

On September 1, 1988, the Medina Ballroom was the site of a show called the 30th Anniversary of Rock 'n' Roll.  Among the 13 original artists were Otis Day and the Knights, Badfinger, the Coasters, Bobby Day, the New Seekers, Jerry Wallace, Danny's Reasons, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, Chuck Negron of Three Dog Night, the Tokens, Al Wilson, Donnie Brooks, Spencer Davis, Blues Image, and Mike Pinero of Iron Butterfly.

In the 1980s, Cliff Siegel of the High Spirits worked for Warner Brothers, and at some point Prince stayed at his house in St. Louis Park near Cobble Crest.  Bandmate Owen Husney was Prince's manager, and Cliff got him his first big record deal. 

1990 marked the debut of singer, songwriter, and St. Louis Park resident. Dan Israel.

In 1998, Minneapolis band Semisonic has a #1 hit with "Closing Time."

The Monkees made a triumphant return to the State Theater in downtown Minneapolis on November 15, 2012.  See my Individual Page on the Monkees in Minnesota.

TEENAGE DANCE TV SHOWS OF THE '50s AND 60s

The following is a list of TV shows that featured rock 'n' roll music.   If you have any more specific information, please contact me.  The list does not include shows such as Ed Sullivan, Hollywood Palace, and the many variety shows hosted by big stars. Thanks to the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting for the use of their TV Guide collection.  Also see www.thevideobeat.com.

"American Bandstand" premiered in the Twin Cities on August 5, 1957, Channel 11.  The first song played was "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" by Jerry Lee Lewis.  In the early days, it could be seen daily for two hours, from 3 to 5pm.  From October through December 1957, there was also a prime time version, airing on Mondays at 6:30.  From February 1958 to September 1960, the prime time "Dick Clark Saturday Night Beechnut Show" aired with the same format as "Bandstand."  "Bandstand" started as a local show in Philadelphia in 1952.  Dick Clark began hosting in 1956. In about 1961 it moved from Channel 11 to Channel 9.  Although the show was available to stations for1 - 1/2 hours, it was shown in the Twin Cities for only the last hour, from 4 to 5pm.  In 1963 it went to once a week on Saturdays.  In 1964 it moved to Los Angeles.  The Twin Cities group the Nickel Revolution was thrilled to have their single "Oscar Crunch" played on Bandstand, presumably in 1969.  The group wasn't particularly thrilled with the song itself, and unfortunately the airtime didn't do much for it.  Bandstand ran until 1989.
 

"B-Sharp Beat" was sponsored by the B-Sharp Music Store.  It started sometime between July 1966 and April 1, 1967 (resources are limited).  It was broadcast on Saturday at 1:30 on Channel 11, hosted by WDGY DJ Jimmy Reed.  Bands that performed on the show included the Still Roven, Hot Half Dozen, the Sir Raleighs, the System, the Underbeats and the Del Counts.  The Del Counts performed in April and on the last show, which was broadcast on June 10, 1967.  See an EXCELLENT, photo-filled page on B-Sharp Music on Jerry Lenz's blog on his band the Nickel Revolution.
 

"Bandstand" was the name of a show that ran in Duluth from at least February 1959 to June 1960.  It was broadcast M-F at 5:00 on Channel 3, hosted by Jim Rassbach.  It appears that many local dance shows took on the Bandstand name, although there was only one "American Bandstand."
 

Bill Carlson had a weekly show that featured local bands.  The debut was on Saturday, January 5, 1963, and was for 15 minutes at 5:15 pm on Channel 4.  The description in the TV Guide was:  "Bill Carlson - Variety.  Host Bill Carlson presents teen-age talent, guest recording stars and reports on Youth Activities on this weekly 15 minute variety show.  This week, The "Galaxies," a teen-age combo from St. Paul, are featured." The January 12 show featured the Rovers folksingers and a piece on the Minneapolis Auto Show.  Subsequent shows were not described in the TV Guide, but Dan Holm of the Chancellors remembers being on the show.  On Saturday, March 16, 1963, the show moved to 12:30 and expanded to 30 minutes.  Alas, "American Bandstand" also expanded to Saturday afternoons at the same time slot on Channel 9, and the Bill Carlson Show on Channel 4 apparently chose not to compete.  We don't know if Carlson's show was moved or discontinued. Bill Carlson also had a nighttime show called "This Must be the Place," and We see in January 1968 he had a ten minute show called "Something Special."
 

"A Date With Dino" was a local rock 'n' roll show that was broadcast on Channel 9 at 4pm.  It started twice weekly on October 13, 1964, and on January 25, 1965, the show went daily.  It ran the school year to June 7, 1965.  (See Upbeat #1 below.)  Day, nee George Murphy, had been a radio DJ.  The ad at right is from December 1964.

David Jass, vice president of Young Adult Productions, remembers:  "Bruce Goldstein and myself created the 'Date with Dino' TV dance show. We got kids from the local high schools to dance on the show. They would all show up outside the studio. Bruce and I would 'screen' them. The turnout was easily 10 times what we needed. Dino Day was hired to mc the show. Our proposal was for me to do the honors. Oh well, so it goes. We also pitched a 'Teen Tonight' show to channel 11. We got turned down."

The ad in the TV Times reads:  "Dino Day hosts television's swingest (sic) Dance Show...'live' from Channel 9 Studios... exciting top record stars perform their hit records... keep informed with Teen News International and Sports All-American."  Dino couldn't have been too "swingest:"  that's a Ray Conniff record behind him.  A teenage Nancy Nelson was in the cast doing teen news, as was Rod Person and Twins stadium announcer Bob Casey with "teen sports reports."    Someone with a very sad "Date With Dino" story remembered that Dino wore makeup and was not at all fond of "babysitting" his teenage costars.  Local bands performed on the show; Danny's Reasons and the Escapades were the first to do so, we learn from Danny Stevens.  Channel 9's studios were located at the Foshay Tower.

"The Folkswingers" was a 12-week program produced by John Degan and Dan Nelson of KSTP-TV in the summer of 1966.  The program was a tour of local folk singing and folk dancing in the Twin Cities.  One of the groups featured was the Northstar Singers from south Minneapolis.  The group formed in 1965 and sang at venues such as the No Exit at Macalester, the Whole Coffeehouse and the Scholar at the U of M, and the 14th Circle at Hamline University.  The draft broke the group up, but in 2010, a videotape of a Folkswingers show was found by KSTP archivist Glenn Griffin.  Members of the Northstar Singers included Al Benson, Dan Nelson, and Tom Pederson.
 

"Happening '68" was hosted by Mark Lindsay and Paul Revere of the Raiders.  It ran here from January 6 to September 14, 1968, airing at Saturdays at 12:30 on Channel 9 (ABC).
 

"Hi-Five Time" shows up in January 1958 on Channel 5, Monday - Friday at 5:00 -5:45, replacing the TN Tatters kids' show. Harry Zimmerman was the host on the show.  Since the "High Five" clap had probably not been invented yet, the name was probably derived from the Hi-Fidelity sets that teens played their music on, and the fact that the show was on Channel 5. 

Betsy Command and her brother Johnny Command (shown at right) were regular dancers on the show.  Betsy says, "Our mom, Freda, a fabulous dancer herself, taught us to dance and drove us to channel five from our home in Richfield every afternoon. My brother Johnny Command and I danced on the show almost daily during that time. We even won a dance contest and received fan mail from kids from all over the channel 5 area. (I kept a lot of it). American Bandstand's Justine and Bob were contemporaries of ours.  We wrote to kids who sent letters to us and I kept a box of them to remind me of the good times we had. Kids that watched the show assumed we were sweethearts.  Harry used to pack the regulars up on a bus and take us to outlying teen dances for promotion of the show. My brother John Command became a professional dancer, director and choreographer, and toured with shows all over the country.  I married and had children."  Betsy generously shared this photo of her dancing with her brother Johnny.  The man standing behind Johnny could be Jack Thayer or Jim Lange, who went on to host "The Dating Game."

The show was aired daily, at least until May 1958, perhaps much longer.  By January 1959 the show had been moved to Saturdays at 4:30 - their old M-F timeslot was taken by reruns of "My Little Margie."  It also shows up on December 31, 1959 at 4:30 Saturday on Channel 5 - notes say that the teens were visited by George Montgomery, in town for the Winter Carnival. But no sign of it could be found in the few 1960 TV Guides they have at the Pavek Museum.
 

"Hollywood a-Go-Go" was a syndicated show based in Los Angeles and hosted by L.A. DJ Sam Riddle.  It featured the Gazzarri Dancers, from the nearby Gazzarri discotheque on the Sunset Strip.  The show ran in the Twin Cities from May 16, 1965 to June 4, 1966.  At first it was shown on Sunday at 7:30 pm, but then moved to Saturday at 3:30 pm, always on Channel 11.  The poster at right comes from http://www.gazzarridancers.com/ and the text is from

www.tv.com/shows/hollywood-a-go-go/:

"Hollywood A Go-Go" was a Los Angeles based rock 'n' roll series hosted by Sam Riddle. The performers included many well known recording artists, as well as regulars The Sinners and The Gazzarri Dancers.

This 1-hour series was videotaped at KHJ-TV, channel 9. It premiered Dec. 26, 1964 as a local, LA program titled "9th Street a Go Go" (a spin-off of KHJ-TV's weekday series "9th Street West"). By the fifth show (January 23, 1965), it was rechristined "Hollywood a Go Go." In March 1965, the program became nationally syndicated. According to Chicago and New York City TV listings, national syndication began with Show #6. (Since other cities aired the episodes several weeks, or sometimes months, after the LA broadcasts, this guide lists the original LA air dates.)

Hollywood a Go Go's producer, Al Burton, wanted the set to resemble a Sunset Strip-style nightclub. This look was achieved through the use of lower ceilings, special lighting, and brick walls (which upon closer inspection were actually thin walls with painted-on bricks).

The Gazzarri Dancers, the show's go-go dancers, also contributed to the nightclub atmosphere. They didn't wear the wholesome, cheerleader-style clothing seen on other rock 'n' roll TV shows. And their dance moves were considered more risqu...at least for mid-1960s television. In a May 1965 article on the rock 'n' roll industry, TIME magazine made the outrageous claim that the Gazzarri Dancers' moves would "bring a blush to the cheeks of a burlesque stripper." The individual dancers were selected by Al Burton, with input from Bill Gazzarri, the owner of Gazzarri's nightclub on Sunset Strip.

A total of 52 episodes were produced for syndication.

 

"Hootenanny" was a folk music show from April 6, 1963 to September 12, 1964.  It was broadcast on Saturday nights on ABC.  The show honored the blacklist of the 1950s, in particular with regard to Pete Seeger, so many figures from the Greenwich Village folk scene did not appear, including Joan Baez.  The powers that be relented and said that Seeger could perform, but only if he signed a loyalty oath.  Which was ridiculous, since that's why he was on the blacklist to begin with.  Seeger, Baez, Peter Paul & Mary, and other big names did not appear, and soon the Beatles put the kibosh on the folk music genre.  The host was Jack Linkletter, Art Linkletter's son.  A good site about this show is http://ronolesko.blogspot.com/2007/01/abc-tvs-historic-hootenanny-tv-series.html 
 

"Hullabaloo" was a big time rock 'n' roll show that mixed adult schmaltz with great rock performers.  It was widely known for its frenetic dancers, including go-go dancer extraordinaire, Lada Edmund, Jr.  The show went on the air on January 12, 1965 on NBC (Channel 5).  It was on Tuesday nights until September 1965 when it moved to Monday nights.  The last show was August 29, 1966.

The show's owners made franchises available to people to open teen clubs with the Hullabaloo name, and there was one right here in St. Louis Park, in an industrial area commonly known as Skunk Hollow.  More about Park's Hullabaloo Teen Scene is at http://www.jeanneandersen.net/hullaballoteenscene.html

One of the first shows aired by WTCN was "Jack's Corner Drug Store," hosted by Jack Thayer at 4:00 pm.. It started just days after WTCN-TV went on the air: September 7, 1953. From the TV Guide: “Jack Thayer, emcee. The scene is the replica of a drug store. High School and college students are invited to the show.” Another description went: “jivey teen-age dance get-together. Dance contest $180. Tangos, rhumbas, and other South American Favorites.” Thayer had been a DJ at WLOL and WTCN radio. During the summers of 1954 and 1955, the show was alternately called “Jack Thayer’s Beach Party” and “Jack Thayer’s Sun Fest.” TV Guide again: “Broadcast from the veranda of the Calhoun Beach Hotel, overlooking beautiful Lake Calhoun.” After the 1955 Sun Fest, the show was renamed “Record Hop.” This is probably different from the "Record Hop" that started in 1957 (see below). It went off the air (partly because of the Mickey Mouse Club) on October 28, 1955. Jack Thayer also had a Saturday night show, just called the Jack Thayer Show. It was broadcast at 10pm on Saturday nights on Channel 11. It ran from February 13, 1954 to June 25, 1955.
 

"Lloyd Thaxton's Record Shop" was a local show in Los Angeles that started in 1959.  In 1964 it went into national syndication via video tape.  It debuted here on September 7, 1964 and featured Frankie Avalon.  It was seen on Channel 5 at 4:30 daily.  At least at first, the show ran 55 minutes, with the last 5 minutes for "Doctor's House Call" before the evening news.  The last show locally was on December 30, 1965, replaced by "Cheyenne."  Thaxton can be heard on the LP "Lloyd Thaxton Goes Surfing With the Challengers," released in 1963.
 

"Lucky 11 Dance Time" was apparently a show hosted by Channel 11's Brad Johnson. TV Guides for that time are scarce; what we found was "Dance Show," hosted by Brad Johnson and featuring 20 teen age couples who danced at the Calhoun Beach Hotel. The only evidence  we have is in the May 29, 1961 volume of TV Guide. (It is not in the February 11 edition nor the July 1 edition.)  It aired on Saturday at 2:00.  Brad Johnson substituted at least once for Dick Clark on "American Bandstand," presumably when the show was still broadcast from Philadelphia.
 

"Midnight Discotheque" was aired at the strike of midnight, December 31, 1964.  It promised the latest in dancing, with hostess Mary Davies (aka Carmen the Nurse).
 

"Music Scene" was broadcast by ABC for 17 episodes, from September 1969 to January 12, 1970.  It was hosted by David Steinberg, with guest hosts.  It aired on Mondays at 6:30 pm on Channel 9 - curiously for 45 minutes.
 

"Platter Party" was a 15 minute show on Channel 4 in Fargo, hosted by Pete Evenson.  He could have been playing Elvis Presley or Montovani for all we know.  All we know about this is a listing of July 1957 in the northern edition of the Twin Cities TV Guide.
 

Shortly after "American Bandstand" went national in  August 1957, there was a show called “Record Hop” that appears to be a local teen show. Our records are spotty, but we see "Record Hop" with Jim Eddy listed in the local listings at 4:30 on Saturday on Channel 9, starting in October or November 1957. In February 1958, Eddy is described as a singer in an article in the St. Louis Park Echo.  Jump to May 1958, and the host is Jere Smith. And in January 1959, Dan Anderson is the host.
 

"Shindig" was broadcast from September 16, 1964 to January 8, 1966 on Channel 9 (ABC).  In the beginning it was broadcast at 7:30 on Wednesdays.

The following comes from http://www.tv.com/shows/shindig/:

Shindig! was created and produced by Jack Good who had previously produced rock 'n' roll TV shows in his native Britain. With such shows as "Oh Boy!," "Wham!" and "Boy Meets Girls," he perfected his type of fast-paced rock 'n' roll series. In 1962, Good produced a pilot for American TV titled "Young America Swings the World" which was originally ignored, but eventually became one of three Shindig! pilots.

Shindig! premiered on September 16, 1964. During its first season, Shindig was broadcast Wednesdays at 8:30pm Eastern. Premiering as a half-hour series, it expanded to an hour in January 1965.

Most of the top American and British rock/pop acts of the mid-1960s appeared on Shindig!. The British performers often appeared in segments taped in the U.K.

Shindig! was different from the rock 'n' roll programs previously seen on American television. Shindig's music appeared to be non-stop, often only interrupted by the commercial breaks. And the performances were live...or so it seemed. In recent years it's been revealed that the backing music and many of the vocals were pre-recorded. The music and vocal tracks were recorded a day or two before the episode was videotaped. To make sure that these "mimed" performances looked live, the performers rehearsed numerous times.

Shindig! was hosted by Los Angeles disc-jockey Jimmy O'Neill. Other series regulars included The Blossoms, a female group who provided the back-up singing. The Wellingtons were the male back-up singers. (Another male group, the Elgibles, often appeared in place of the Wellingtons.) There were also the Shindig dancers, a troupe made up of 10 (or so) young women who performed choreographed dances.

Shindig also had a roster of performers who appeared on a semi-regular basis. These included The Righteous Brothers, Glen Campbell, Donna Loren and Bobby Sherman.

Unlike other shows of the time, Shindig! did not have its own theme song. (The 1965 Shindig! LP begins with a "theme" song, but it's unlikely that it was ever performed on the TV series.) Most of the Shindig! episodes began with an opening song or medley performed by the Shindig guests and regulars. The medley consisted of short excerpts from current hits, vintage rock 'n' roll songs, along with gospel, country and folk songs. And the episodes ended with a finale, with a different song performed each week.

Shindig ignited a (short-lived) trend in television which could probably best be described as "rock 'n' roll...with go-go dancers." In January 1965, NBC introduced Hullabaloo, a variety show featuring rock 'n' roll guests and Shindig-type dancers. A few months later, the syndicated rock shows "Hollywood A Go-Go" and "Shivaree" premiered. And in July 1965, ABC added "Where the Action Is" to its weekday schedule. While Action's format was different from Shindig, it did feature a troupe of dancers called "The Action Kids." Shindig's influence can also be seen in two theatrical movies: "The T.A.M.I. Show" (recorded in October 1964) and "The Big T-N-T Show" (1966).

Instead of airing reruns, ABC produced new Shindig episodes for the Summer of 1965.

The final Shindig! episode produced by Jack Good aired on June 30, 1965. Beginning with the July 7, 1965 show, former Shindig director Dean Whitmore took over as producer.

For its second season, Shindig!was split into two 30-minutes shows airing Thursdays and Saturdays at 7:30pm. The episodes from 30 Sep 1965 through 30 Oct 1965 featured guest hosts.

Shindig's cancellation was announced in late October 1965. Dean Whitmore has often been blamed for the downfall of the series. Supposedly, when Whitmore took over, the show lost its pacing. To be fair, most of the episodes that aired from July through October 1965 are actually quite good. Although there were some changes, Whitmore didn't drift too far from Jack Good's original format. It remained a fast-paced show. Even the addition of guest hosts didn't hurt the show too much. Instead of taking over the whole show, the guest hosts usually sang one song and introduced a few of the other acts.

What probably hurt Shindig's popularity was the large number of rock 'n' roll shows on U.S. television by the Fall of 1965. As mentioned earlier, "Hullabaloo," "Hollywood A Go-Go," "Shivaree" and "Where the Action Is" were on the air. ABC also had the long running "American Bandstand." In September 1964, "The Lloyd Thaxton Show," previously a local Los Angeles series, became nationally syndicated. As if that wasn't enough, almost every large U.S. city had its own local rock 'n' roll TV series.

Another factor affecting Shindig's ratings had to have been time-shifting by local affiliates. Many ABC affiliates chose not to air Shindig in its regular Thursday/Saturday 7:30pm time slot (opting for syndicated or locally produced programs). These stations usually moved Shindig to non-prime time hours. While some time-shifting occurred during the first season, it became even more wide-spread for Shindig's 2nd season.

It wasn't until after the cancellation was announced that Shindig's quality started to decline. The Shindig! episodes from November 1965 through January 1966 are an odd mixture of programming. While some of these final shows resemble Jack Good's original series, there were others that looked nothing like Shindig and have nothing to do with rock 'n' roll. Examples of this are the episodes spotlighting Louis Armstrong (4 Nov 1965 & 11 Nov 1965); George Maharis (27 Nov 1965) and Johnny Mathis (25 Dec 1965).

Shindig's cancellation was part of a mid-season reshuffle at ABC, which the network called "The Second Season." The final Shindig aired on January 8, 1966. As if to add insult to injury, many of the songs performed on that final Shindig were presented as sketches saluting the new ABC shows! One of these sketches was a tribute to "Batman," the series that replaced Shindig!

"Shivaree" began as a local Los Angeles-based program on KABC-LA. It became syndicated in April 1965 and aired in more than 150 markets in the U.S. and seven countries internationally. Shivaree was created and hosted by LA's top all-night DJ, Gene Weed, once a president of the Academy of Country Music.  As a senior VP at Dick Clark Productions, he produced many awards shows.  The show made its Twin Cities debut on Saturday, April 17, 1965, on Channel 11 at 9 pm.  At some point it moved to Sundays at 2:30 pm, still on Channel 11.  As far as we can tell, the last show was broadcast locally on May 15, 1966.  Here's a clip from Shivaree with one of my favorite songs.
 

For one week in August/September 1964, there is a TV listing (presumably local) for "Teen Shindig," a special starring Jerry Smith (could this be Channel 9's Jere Smith?). The live, one-hour show featured teenage instrumental and folksinging groups - and five contestants for Miss Teen Northwest. By the end of the week, all the contestants were there, and one wonders whose shindig this is..
 

"Showcase '68" was a summer show that aired on Tuesdays at 7pm on KSTP.  Lloyd Thaxton was the host, and the show originated from a different city each week.
 

"Upbeat" (Local) came on in October 1965, hosted by Dino Day from "A Date With Dino" (See above.)  It was filmed on Friday nights at the Marigold Ballroom, and aired on KMSP-TV on Saturday afternoons.  Were you one of the Upbeat Dancers?  Some of the groups that appeared on the show at the end of 1965 were Cannibal and the Headhunters, Bobby Sherman, the Castaways, the Echomen, the Trolls, the Luvs. Also listed was Scott Burton, WDGY DJ.  The last broadcast was on February 19, 1966.
 

"Upbeat" (National) was a syndicated show out of Cleveland, hosted by Don Webster.  It went on the air here in the Twin Cities on June 11, 1966, on Channel 11, Saturday afternoons.  It ended on January 27, 1968.  (The show started in Cleveland in 1964 and ended there in 1971.) 

From www.upbeatdancers.com:  From 1964 to 1971 Upbeat was one of Americas top television shows, syndicated in over 100 cities. It was Simon & Garfunkel's first TV appearance and Otis Reddings's last. Nearly every major rock,soul, and pop artist performed on Upbeat: The Who, Three Dog Night, Iron Butterfly, Steppenwolf, Kenny Rogers, James Brown, Sly & The Family Stone, The Temptations, Stevie Wonder, and many many more. But the recording artists weren't the only stars to appear on the show. The Upbeat Dancers (choreographed by Hank Nystrom) created the latest dance crazes, influencing contemporary dance in America. Upbeat was produced by Herman Spero and hosted by Don Webster. Note: One of Upbeat's original theme songs "Hey Let's Go With The Upbeat Show" was written by Dave C.

Local group the Nickel Revolution performed their minor hit "Oscar Crunch" on the show in late November 1968 and the show aired that December.  See the Nickel Revolution's blog about the event and how they hated the bubblegum song they were forced to record. 
 

"Where the Action Is" was a Dick Clark spinoff of "American Bandstand" that aired daily after school.   It debuted on June 28, 1965, and ran til March 31, 1967.  Locally it was aired at 3:30 on Channel 9, an ABC network show.  It was advertised as a show that "goes where the action is - on location to film big-beat performers."  On the first show they went to the beach (for the Beach Boys) and the Whiskey a Go-Go (for DeeDee Sharp-except she's from Philadelphia). Regulars on the show were Linda Scott, Steve Alaimo, Paul Revere and the Raiders, and the Action Dancers.  The show came to Minneapolis - see 1966.
 

OTHERS

There were many local teen shows around the country, with names like "Shebang" (originated from Los Angeles and was hosted by Casey Kasem); Swingin' Time; and Steamroller.  We don't know if they were shown in the Twin Cities.
 

TWIN CITIES ROCK COMPILATIONS

This list pretty much centers on the Twin Cities area.  See Bird Dance Beat for tracks and pictures of the Minnesota Anthologies and a listing of outstate releases. 

Best of Metrobeat - Sundazed - 1990
Big Hits of Mid-America, Vol.1 and 2 (Soma)
Big Hits of Mid-America: The Soma Records Story 1963-67 (CD)
Bloodshot! Gaity Records Story, Vol. 1 and 2 - 1994 (Vinyl and CD)
Candy Floss - the Lost Music of MidAmerica
Changes - Import - 1980
Free Flight – Unreleased Dove Recording Studio Cuts 1964-69 (Get Hip) - 1998
Gathering at the Depot - 1970 (Beta)
Hipsville, Vol. 3: The Return of the Frozen Few - 1984
Hodad Hootenany
KDWB 21 All Time Dream Hits, Vol. 1
KDWB Disc/Coveries - August 1961
KDWB – Solid Gold - 1972
KRSI Request Album - 1969 - 2 record set
Let’s Have a Ball: Early Rock ‘n’ Roll From the Midwest
Minnesota Rock-A-Billy-Rock
1968 Minnesota Rockers, Vol. 1
Minnesota Rock-A-Billy Rock, Vol. 1-5 - White Label
Minnesota Rockers, Vol. 1 - Holland - 1995
Midwest vs. Canada
Midwest vs. The Rest
Money Music – August Records - 1967 - probably the best and most collectible of the bunch, put out by Peter Huntington May
Monsters of the Midwest Vol. 1-4
When Time Ran Out (Italy)
Minnesota vs. Michigan Raw Cuts From 1965-67, Vol. 1]
Rockin’ Your Socks Off! Volumes 1 - 12
Root 66: The Frozen Few - 1982
The Scotty Story – Minnesota’s Legendary ‘60’s Rock Label! - 1993 (Arf Arf)
Soma Records Story Vol. 1: Shake it For Me - 1998
Soma Records Story Vol. 2: Bright Lights, Big City - 1998
Soma Records Story Vol. 3: A Man’s Gotta Be a Man - 1998
Surfin’ in the Midwest, Vol. 1-3
Top Teen Bands, Vol. 1 - Bud-Jet Records - 1965
Top Teen Bands, Vol. 2 - Bud-Jet Records - 1965
Top Teen Bands, Vol. 3 - Bud-Jet Records - 1966
Twin Cities Funk and Soul: Lost R&B Grooves from Minneapolis/St. Paul 1964-1979  (secretstashrecords.com)
Twist to Radio WDGY - Songs recorded by Bob Keene Big Band @1961
WDGY Yesterhits from Yesterday, Vol. 1 and 2

From Johnny Canton:  It was my job to secure songs for these [WDGY] LPs. To get the good hits we had to agree we would not sell the albums. Since we were going to use them as a promo tool to give to our listeners, that was an easy concession. However, ABC Paramount/Dunhill records still sent me a 20 page contract to sign. They were an important label since one of the songs we wanted was by The Mamas & Papas - huge act at the time.

PUBLICATIONS
 

Here is a list of some of the local rock 'n' roll magazines and books of the 1960s.  Bird Dance Beat has a detailed list with pictures.

Beat Magazine:  John Pratt:  "I do remember Beat Magazine, which was a national publication that was sold through various top-40 stations around the country, with editions tailored to each station's markets. Here, it was KDWB Beat.  KRLA had the Los Angeles edition of Beat; [at right is] a cover photo of an October 1967 edition of KRLA Beat."  The address given is Beat Publications, 9125 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles.

We have copies of four issues of KDWB Beat.  Each has a "local" page centered on the station.  The local page from the August 26, 1967 issue ("Special Hippie History Issue") featured pictures of Twin Cities music industry folk (Tac Hammer, Ira Heilicher, Charlee Brown) with the Jefferson Airplane, the Electric Prunes, and the Shadows of Night during an outing on Lake Minnetonka.  (See detailed in chronology above.)  The issue also reported on the Monkees concert in NYC, where the opening acts were Lynn Randell and Jimi Hendrix.  Micky did his best James Brown imitation.

The local page from October 21, 1967 reports KDWB's Earl L. Trout III being "jailed" in a charity stunt. It shows him broadcasting live from the corner of 7th and Hennepin, and Minneapolis police "arresting" him and taking him to jail until enough money was raised for the Leukemia Foundation to "bail" him out. (See details in 1967 above.)

The January 27, 1968 issue featured a silly "history" of KDWB going back to the cave men. It also supported a High School Christmas concert series involving 13 schools from the metro area (including St. Louis Park).    

And the February 24, 1968 issue featured KDWB DJ Earl L. Trout III's national-but-futile letter-writing campaign to bring the Beatles back to the U.S.   

Flip Side:  Southern Minnesota Bands, 1955-1970; Jim Oldsberg
 

In-Beat Magazine ("That's What's Happening"):  This magazine was published monthly by Steven Kaplan out of his living room. Kaplan sold subscriptions at the Teen Age Fair at the State Fair [presumably August 66] for $2 - each subscriber got a free 45 rpm record, so the subscriptions were essentially free. In-Beat paid Twin City a Go Go (see below) $1500 not to compete. The first issue came out in September 1966.

Kaplan remembers:  "we were out only a few issues when we got some good national ads: Sprite automobiles and Clairol products among them. A coup for a small magazine.

"Also, a few months after we were out, the publisher of Where magazine called and wanted to meet. By this time our magazine was hot: I went from being a nerd to being hip in two issues (and back to being a nerd again after we stopped publishing). But we were hot and this publisher wanted us to associate our name with his, so he offered us an office — for free — and, this was

 the clincher, free meals every day at Luigi’s restaurant, which at that time was on the main floor of the Lumber Exchange, where Where was located (on the 12th floor). We took the office and were able to move out of my apartment. It was a big office and we always kept the doors closed because it reeked of marijuana fumes.

"One of our biggest coups came early in the season. Big names Chad & Jeremy (though, of course, no one today has any idea of who they were) were booked for the fair, but never showed up. It was an outrage and everyone — particularly the mainstream media — was trying to find out what happened. Chad & Jeremy called us, however, and sat down for an explanatory interview with us, the only interview they gave (and, perhaps, the last one anyone ever really cared about). [See 1966 above.]

"Our best time was with James Brown. He had come (maybe to the Flame Ballroom) and we made arrangements to photograph & interview him. Brown was my personal idol and I couldn’t wait to see him perform. We went to the concert and though it was sold out, there was hardly a white guy there: maybe 3 or 4 in the whole place (Danny & I were half of that). When the show was over we went back stage where Brown, who was indeed the hardest working guy in show business, was sitting at a chair with an attendant at both legs, each unlacing his high-laced boots. I started asking him my brilliant questions when he stopped me. “This is no place to do an interview,” he said, and, of course, he was right. “Why don’t you guys fly back with me to Cincinnati. That way we can do the interview on the plane, and it will be quiet and we won’t be rushed. After I’ll put you guys up in a hotel and in the morning we’ll tour King Records.” And that’s exactly what we did. We flew back in his Lear Jet, he, James Foxx, Danny & I. The plane’s interior was about as big as a restaurant booth, and the loudspeakers played Vivaldi."

The (final?) issue of In-Beat came out in August 1967.  Kaplan and friends went to San Francisco for the Monterey Pop concert in 1967, where hippies were in and teenage fanzines were out, and that was the end of In-Beat. Kaplan now edits the magazine Minnesota Law and Politics.
 

Insider:  The Insider began in about April 1966 as the T.M.C. Insider, a mimeographed newsletter put out by Trestman Music Center.  It was strictly a trade sheet for the burgeoning teenage musicians in the Twin Cities (one estimate was that there were 4,000 of them).  It had news about the groups, ads for TMC and band instruments, and featured an instructional column called "Drummers' Beat."  Colman “Connie” Hechter, a musician and former publicist for Mercury Records was the publisher, editor, and reporter, with Trestman acting as sponsor.  TMC issued the sheet until at least December 1967. Hechter began to publish the magazine independently as Connie's Insider, with music industry trade news, and music, arts and lifestyle features for and about the people of Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin and the Dakotas. Looking on-line at the holdings of the Minnesota Historical Society and the Hennepin County Library (downtown-Special Collections), it would appear that the last Connie's Insider was the July/August 1971 issue, and then it was just the Insider from September 1971 to May/June 1978.  Hechter passed away in 1978 and the publication became the Musician's Insider until it ended in 1980.  See the story in Twin Cities Funk & Soul, page 28.
 

Lost and Found: a '50s/'60s Rock & Roll 'Zine; Jim Oldsberg; 1993

     Volume 1:  Minnesota/Iowa
     Volume 2:  Minnesota/Wisconsin
     Volume 3:  Illinois/Minnesota
     Volume 4:  North and South Dakota
     Volume 5:  Northern Minnesota
 

Metanoia was a local arts magazine from the late '60s. In 1968 it was described as an Underground magazine with a circulation of 5,000, mostly college students and instructors.
 

    
Minnesota Rocked!  The 1960s; Tom W. Tourville, 1966 (at least four subsequent editions). This is an amazing list of Minnesota bands and their recordings.
 

Music Legends: a Rewind on the Minnesota Music Scene; Martin Keller, D Media, Inc. 2007
 

In 1967, B Sharp Music published Music Scene, a competitor to the Insider. It had a wider audience than the first issues of the Insider, with bios of local and national musicians. The ninth issue was dated June, 1967; no information on how long it lasted after that. The newsletter was written by Timothy D. Kehr, who sharply criticized Connie Hechter for putting his name on the local Connie Awards. Kehr went on to publish the Insider that same year.
 

A Simple Twist of Fate:  Bob Dylan and the Making of Blood on the Tracks; Andy Gill and Kevin Odegard;  Da Capo Press, 2004.  See 1974 above.
 

Twin City a-GoGo ("The magazine for Twin City Young Adults on the Go"):  Editors were David Jass (vice-president of Young Adult Productions and son of Twin Cities television personality Mel Jass) and Bruce Goldstein (associated with Century Camera).  This was a jam-packed publication.  The first issue in May 1965 featured the Chancellors on the cover (see right).   Free subscriptions were available until October 1, 1965.  It grew to be a very popular publication:  In 1965 there were 3 staff members, and by January 1966 there were 30.

David Jass remembers: 

"We started all of this at the Teen Fair at the Minnesota State Fair [1965]. I think the teen fair only lasted that one time. We had a life-size display of the Beatles. Get your picture taken with the Beatles was a hit. It cost $.75. We also sold what we called go go hammers. The idea was to hit members of the opposite sex with them. It was a plastic hammer deal with accordion yellow ends that make a loud "pop" sound. We hired young ladies in swimming suits and tennis shoes to sell them. What a hit. By the 4th day of the Teen Fair we chartered an airplane to fly in more hammers. The last day of the fair I was in a cab going home. I had only one hammer left. Broken. The cab driver said his son had to have one. He paid me $1.75 for it. We also had kids sign up with name, phone, and address if they would be interested in a magazine for teens in Minnesota. Thus the list of finally 10,000 names.

"I have the original copy of a' GoGo . It is a small digest size mag of around 10 pages. Bruce and I wrote all the articles using pseudonyms. My fashion column "fling into spring" was my most memorable. We sold advertising to local businesses. Enough money was made to pay the rent for our office (above the Cascade 9 Bar and Grill in Mpls) and other expenses. Nancy Nelson was our secretary. We hired kids to call the rock n roll radio stations to plug our magazine. The radio stations started getting suspicious and stopped taking these calls. Kids would then call pretending some other "teen" topic and then slip in how much they loved Twin City A Go Go.

"When the Beatles came to the Twin Cities, I had a room one floor below them at some motel in Mpls. I met them, not much talking, but a thrill for me. I was 21 at the time. During their press conference one of our guys (Karnstedt) tossed some issues of our magazine (#2) at the interview table. The boys picked them up and started clowning around with them. Our 3rd issue shows them with our magazine. Kind of cool.

"I left the corporation shortly after this escapade. My partner Bruce Goldstein continued for maybe one more issue. He began selling our list of 10,000 subscribers. I think that he sold the magazine, which was to become InBeat.
 

"Well, lots of memories here. I' m now 64 years old. Have spent my working life as a teacher, social worker, and contractor. Have now lived in San Diego California for the last 30 years."

Thanks, David, for your memories!

 

Twin City Where was a nationally franchised magazine that published here in about 1966.  Howard Goldenberg was the editor.
 

Marcia from Marcia and the Lynchmen reports that they were one of the teen bands highlighted in the St. Paul Pioneer Press Pictorial Magazine, June 5, 1966, “Those Teen Bands.” The article was entitled “Behind the Twang of the Guitar” and the text was by Bill Diehl.  Maddie Shay scanned her copy for us! 

LIVE MUSIC VENUES

There were tons of dance and music venues in the Twin Cities and the surrounding area.  If you have any to add or corrections to make, please contact me! 

Some of the ballrooms in small towns came from a web site called Ballrooms of the Past.  I've never heard of many of these dancehalls, and even many of the towns! 

Much of the information on jazz venues comes from Joined at the Hip:  A History of Jazz in the Twin Cities by Jay Goetting, MHS Press (2011), which actually has an appendix with many more places than listed here.  A must read.

The Alps:  801 E.78th Street in Bloomington.  A new (1999) building sits there today.  Was originally supposed to be part Dixieland and part Rock, but the Dixieland was quickly dumped.  Had three levels and was frequented by stewardesses, pilots, and other airline folks due to its proximity to the airport.

Anoka Armory

Arcadia Ballroom, Minneapolis

Armadillo Restaurant, 1619 Plymouth Ave. No., opened in November 1957 offering Southern style food and Your Favorite Dinner Music Presented Live.  Owned by Timothy Bender and Phillip Archer.

Augie's Theater Lounge and Bar:  424 Hennepin Ave.  Originally Lindy's in the '30s, then Crombie's, and Augie's in 1944.  Owned by Augie Ratner; for a good read, see Augie's Secrets:  The Minneapolis Mob and the King of the Hennepin Strip by Neal Karlen (MHS Press, 2013). 

Balmoral Ballroom, Fergus Falls

The Bamboo Room was located inside Cassius's Bar and Cafe at 307 So. Third Street, opening in September 1949. It was a jazz venue.  It apparently went dark summers, as it had re-openings in September 1950 - '53.

The Bank:  See the Cabaret below.

The Barn was an actual barn located south of now Highway 62 Crosstown and east of now Highway 169.  Phil Kitchen says it started out as the Barn and then became the Purple Barn to sound more psychedelic!  The front at least was painted purple.  I might have been owned and/or operated by Arnie Sagarski, who also had the Purple Cigar in St. Louis Park.  Bruce Glewwe remembers:  "That whole area was probably farm land then. Went there only once…pretty freaky for a couple 16 year old guys from South St. Paul. The 'black lights' inside scared us off and we didn’t go in. We probably didn’t have the dollar or two it would have cost to enter either."  Jim Mattox says:  "I used to work with a local band called the soul package in the seventies. We played at the purple barn regularly - it was on the frontage road on the south side of 494 just west of 18."  Was there another Barn?  On Hwy. 13 between Cedar and Lyndale Avenues?

Bashland: St. Paul dancehall (barn) owned by WLOL DJ Throck Morton. House band the String Kings.

The Bastille (an erstwhile coffee house, formerly near the corner of Oak Street and Washington Avenue on the U of M Campus): Dylan played here in the spring of 1960.

Beek's Pizza in St. Louis Park had a live combo on Friday and Saturday nights, at least in 1958.  There were several other Beek's Pizzas.

The Bel-Rae Ballroom was located at 5394 Edgewood Drive NW in New Brighton (Moundsview?). At one time, Tuesday nights featured Michael's Mystics.

Big Al's:  Minneapolis jazz venue  at So. 5th Street and 13th Ave.

Bill’s Roller Rink in Anoka

Bimbo’s was located at 243 Cedar Ave. - Seven Corners on the West Bank. It’s now the Theater in the Round. Did it move to Coon Rapids by 1973?

Bloomington Roller Rink:  94th and Lyndale Avenue So.

Blue Moon Ballroom, Marshall, Minnesota

The Blue Note Cocktail Lounge was located at 622 - 11th Ave. No. in Minneapolis.  Jazz venue

Bobby Jackson's Cafe Extra-ordinaire:  Minneapolis jazz venue

Bobby's Teen Club:  Lexington and Highway 55 in Mendota Heights, owned by Bobby McCay.  In April 1967 the Underbeats recorded 43 songs at Bobby's for Metrobeat Records.

Boulevards of Paris Ballroom, 1100 W. University Ave., St. Paul.  Opened in 1934, and played host to Fats Waller, Benny Goodman, and Louis Armstrong.  Became the Vanity Fair.  Very elegant.

Briggs' Cafe:  See Dreamland.

The Bullpen in Hopkins

The Burnsville Bowl - separate entrance was The Prison

The Cabaret, located at 770 W. 7th in St. Paul, changed its name to The Bank in 1969.  Owner was Bob Mecay.

The Cabooze, located at 917 Cedar Ave. on the West Bank.  Still there.

Camden Bank was located in North Minneapolis at 42nd and Lyndale and was opened by Marsh Edelstein.  It was apparently an old building - the Underbeats remember not being able to play their hit "Foot Stompin'" there because the kids stomped the ceiling in on the janitor in the basement.

Carpenter’s Hall in Anoka

Casablanca Victory Bar and Cafe (Stage-Bar-Dancing):  408 Hennepin in 1948, owned by Herman Mitch.  Jazz venue.  Became the Gay 90s.

The Cascade 9, located at 829 Hennepin, hosted the Del Counts.

Casino Royale was located in Fridley, just north of Moore Lake on the east side of Hwy 65.  Steve Nelson remembers listening and dancing to Joker's Wild in '68/'69.

The Cassius Bar & Cafe was owned by brothers Brutus and William M. Cassius, local black entrepreneurs.  It was originally located at 307 So. Third Street in Minneapolis, and goes back to at least 1947 and possibly 1938.  In July 1958 it was moved to 318 So. Third St. in Minneapolis.  In the 1960s it was the site "Rhythm 'n' Blues Time," a simulcast on KUXL featuring the best in R&B as played by Prime Minister Billy G.  William Cassius was a barber by trade, and his holdings included the Cassius Beauty Shop the Cassius Company Cosmetics and Toiletries (38th Street and 4th Ave. So.)  In December 1950 Brutus Cassius, who was active in the unions, purchased the Golden West Hotel, across the street from the Milwaukee Road Railroad Station.   That three-story building, built in 1883, is still there today.  Also see the Bamboo Room above.

Castle Royal Night Club:  6 West Channel Street (215 So. Wabasha), St. Paul.  This (in)famous nightclub, located inside the Wabasha Caves, opened in 1933 by Josie and William Lehman and was a favorite hangout for the gangsters that enjoyed safe haven in St. Paul.  Entertainers like Harry James and Cab Calloway graced the stage.  The place is still open, offering tours and dances, as well as gangster tours of our Twin Cities.  http://www.wabashastreetcaves.com/

The Celebrity Lounge, located in St. Paul, was owned by Twins catcher Earl Battey and Sandy Stephens. 

Mark Karnowski remembers:  "The Chisago City Community Center was rented by a couple of different promoters in the mid to late '60s. Both 'renamed' the building to suit their purposes. The first group called the location the 'Peppermint Club' (because the building was painted a hideous pink). The other group dubbed the place "The Hideaway." The groups that played their weekly included the Trashmen, Chancellors, T.C. Atlantic, High Spirits, Stillroven, Castaways, etc. The city stopped renting to the promoters because the events were marred by fights and other problems in the parking lot. I cut a deal with one of the promoters and put up flyers and posters in exchange for free admission."

Chubb’s Ballroom was located in Eagle Lake, Minnesota. Advertised in 1959 were “Teen Age Hops” at the Spring Lake Ballroom (west of Prior Lake on Highway 13), featuring the Jolly Musicians.

The CIO Hall (724 Fourth Ave. So.) was the site of dances in the black community in the late 1940s.

Clef Club:  1950s jazz venue, Olson Memorial Highway and Lyndale

Clover Club:  501 University Ave., St. Paul.  First mentioned in the Minneapolis Spokesman in October 1955.  Proprietors were Alonzo Ellis of Minneapolis and George Green of St. Paul.  On October 14 the act was Coffee and His Cups featuring Little Jimmy and his Saxophone. 

Club Carnival:  See the Flame Cafe, Minneapolis

Club Kaposia in South St. Paul

Club Malibu, at 334 East Lake Street in Minneapolis, showcased rhythm & blues.

Club Reservoir (formerly Curtis's Place?  Cortls' Place?) went under new management in September 1955.  It was located at 1929 Rice Street in St. Paul and featured entertainment Fridays through Sundays.

The Coconut Grove near 6th Street was over Brady's, later Schinder's, newsstand and had a 14-piece orchestra and a chorus line of 8 girls.

The Coffeehouse Extempore was on the West Bank.

The Coliseum Ballroom was located at 2708 E. Lake Street. It was built in 1917 and is still there!

The Coliseum Pavilion:  449 Lexington Parkway at University, St. Paul.  In the 20s, Wally Erickson's Coliseum Orchestra was the house band.

Cotton Club, St. Louis Park:  See very top of this page.

Cotton Club Chicken Shack:  718 Sixth Ave. No.  Became Club Kongo in 1933 and Club Morocco in 1934.

The Cozy Bar was located at 522 Plymouth Ave. No. and owned by James T. "Jimmy" Fuller Sr.  In the late '60s it was a major venue for R&B acts and one of the few black-owned bars in Minneapolis.  The Cozy was lost due to construction of I-94.  Read the story in Twin Cities Funk & Soul, page 29-30.

Crystal Ballroom, Kasota, Minnesota

The Crystal Coliseum was one of the first - if note the first - venues in the Twin Cities area that booked rock 'n' roll bands on a regular basis in the 1950s and early '60s. The large Quonset hut styled building was owned by Bob Zimmerman (later Bill Cavenaugh?) and had a stage and a large hardwood dance floor/roller rink and served no alcohol. It could hold hundreds of people, and hosted early acts like Augie Garcia, Mike Waggoner and the Bops, and the bands that David Hersk recorded on his Gaity label, including the Glen Rays, the Flames, the Sonics, the String Kings, and Jim Thaxter and the Travelers, a precursor to the Trashmen. Teen night was Friday night.  It was on County Road 81 (at that time Highway 52) by the Clock Restaurant.  It burned down by the mid '60s.  One memory is when black artist Bobby Freeman ("Do you Wanna Dance," "The Swim") came to perform and some thugs tried to break up the dance.  Police were called and the show went on.

Culbertson's Restaurant (formerly El Patio; see very top of this page) featured jazz.  Dick Driscoll hosted a series of remote broadcasts for KQRS.

Dania Hall was on the West Bank at 427 Cedar Ave. So.  It was built in 1886 as a community center for the Danish community and hosted many cultural events.  It burned down on February 28, 2000, the result of a discarded cigarette.

Danceland. Excelsior Amusement Park, the site of many a school picnic and provider of Free Rides for Good Grades, opened on May 30, 1925, the brainchild of Fred W. Pearce, Sr., of Detroit. The streetcar that ran down 44th Street just south of Brookside took passengers from Minneapolis to the Park until 1932, when it was replaced by a bus from Hopkins. Danceland was the former casino from the Tonka Bay Hotel; it was acquired by Excelsior Park in 1928. Starting in 1961 it was run by Ray Colihan, aka "Big Reggie” and featured Big Reggie’s Dance Band.  (The then-rotund Colihan was named after a Reginald Van Gleason skit.) That gave way to “stomp” bands like the Trashmen and the Underbeats. Kids stomped a 10 ft. depression in the dance floor at one Underbeats gig, according to an interview at www.minniepaulmusic.com  - the girls screamed, the inspector inspected, and the dance continued.  The Underbeats remembered that Big Reggie always wanted to sing "Cotton Fields" with them on stage - apparently he even made a record of his favorite song, which goes for big bucks today.  Danceland’s license was temporarily suspended from time to time for rowdy behavior; the house gang was the X-Boys, who defended their territory against alien gangs like the Suprees. The pavilion closed for good in 1968, and was used for boat storage until it burned to the ground on July 8, 1973. The fire smouldered for two days and damage (including 38 boats and 47 snowmobiles) came to $100,000.  A man in Long Lake was arrested and accused of the arson.  The Park, still in the Pearce family, closed the weekend after Labor Day, 1973.  There is much more on Danceland on Lake Minnetonka.Com.  Check out my separate page for the time the Rolling Stones came to Danceland.


Early photo of Danceland from the Excelsior-Lake Minnetonka Historical Society

Dayton's 1,500-seat 8th Floor Auditorium regularly sponsored dances by local bands.  “Dayton’s Top 10 Club” took place on Saturday afternoons (see 1964 above), hosted by DJ Bill Diehl. Bands may have played at Dayton's fashion shows on the 5th floor as well.  Dayton's also sponsored "Youthquake" series of concerts in 1966 that featured national and local talent.

The former Greyhound Bus Station at 29 North 7th Street downtown opened as the Depot, a new rock venue, on April 3 and 4, 1970. An estimated 2300 people came to the club over the first two days to see the Mad Dogs and Englishman tour, featuring Joe Cocker, 30 Englishmen, 2 kids, and a dog. The club featured a wrap-around screen and light show. There was a nominal cost to get in, but there was a $10 charge to sit down, with much poaching of seats going on. The original owners were Danny Stevens of Danny's Reasons, who had a liquor license from the Hotel Hastings, and Elizabeth Heffelfinger, who had to drop out because of illness.  Allan Fingerhut then stepped in with the financing.  Danny's brother Mickey and Skip Goucher were creative partners. Both "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" and "Purple Rain" were filmed in the facility.


Photo (1937 Postcard) courtesy Hennepin County Library Special Collections
  
Perhaps the Depot was a little too popular, and got a reputation of being kind of rough. In 1972 it was franchised out to the American Events Company (AEC) from Cincinnati. In November 1972 AEC opened another of its Uncle Sam’s chain of discos. The enormous facility featured “famous movies and slides” for people to watch when the dancing got too dull. It had to be big to accommodate the newly-enfranchised 18-year old drinkers and the advent of Disco in 1976. In 1979 AEC returned the club to Fingerhut and Stevens, and at this point it may have been called Sam’s Danceteria. Club Manager Steve McClellan started booking live acts in a smaller part of the building that used to be the bus station’s restaurant – this was known as Seventh Street Entry. As the punk era approached in 1980, the live music moved to the big hall and on New Year's Eve 1981, the club became First Avenue.  The venue became nationally famous as the central setting for Prince's 1984 film "Purple Rain."

Diamond Lil's:  Downtown Minneapolis.  Gregory LaLonde says that the band The Blue Fox played there on election night, November 1968 and that it was "quite a place."  See Times Square.

Dome Club:  Minneapolis.  Blues

The Down Beat Ballroom in Spring Park on Lake Minnetonka featured remote broadcasts of jazz on KQRS and KUXL

The Dreamland Cafe was located at 3755 Fourth Ave. So. in the heart of the black community in the 1940s and may have been owned by William M. Cassius.  Current addresses are 3759 (built in 1900) or 3753 (built in 1920).  In 1955 the building was  Del's Orchid Club, 3.2 beer tavern. The Orchid Club was in trouble in 1957 for playing live music after 11 p.m.  It later became Briggs' Cafe, owned by Taylor Briggs.  The change to Briggs' was announced in February 1958, but the Grand Opening was announced from July 18-19, 1958.  Inez Clark was the new manager and the entertainment was Maurice Turner and Orchestra.

Duffy's Bar was at the notorious "Hub of Hell" at 26th and 26th in Minneapolis.  It went through many iterations, starting out early in the century as a railroad workers' hotel.  In the 50s it featured quality jazz orchestras. In the July 11, 1979 Minnesota Daily it announced that it was trashing its disco records and going Rock 'N Roll.  Although it had been around for ages, it was advertised as "Twin Cities Newest Club."  At some point it was painted pink (from its traditional green) and dubbed Norma Jean's, but closed in 1991 after gunfire left a man dead.  It was demolished on November 3, 1997 and was rebuilt as the New French Bakery. 

Eagle Lake Resort:  Maple Grove

Eagle's Hall:  117 South 4th Street, Minneapolis.  In 1947 it became the Labor Temple (see below).

Eaton's Dude Ranch:  Cedar Ave., 4 miles south of the Minnesota River in Rosemount.   Arthur J. Eaton was the owner of the Roller Garden in St. Louis Park from 1939 to 1957. 

Ebony Hall:  635 Olson Memorial Highway.  See Watson Hall below.

Ebony Lounge:  St. Paul jazz venue

The Elk's Rest was a black music venue in the late 1940s, located at 148 North Hyland.  Dances were held every Saturday night.

The Factory in St. Paul was mentioned in a 1969 Insider.

Fiesta Ballroom, Montevideo, Minnesota

In the liner notes of the Soma anthology, Ira Heilicher recalls hanging out at the 15 Club in St. Louis Park, but as far as anyone can tell, it was not a place but a group of people (men?) who got together, usually at Mr. Q's on Excelsior Blvd.  It's now Zip Printing.

Fifth Dimension:  Mankato

Filling Station:  Minneapolis, 1969

The Flame Jazz Club at 8th and Wabasha in St. Paul hosted many big name jazz acts in the early 1950s.  See a collage of ads on Robb Henry's blog. 

Flame Cafe:  1523 Nicollet in Minneapolis.  Originally the Club Carnival/Happy Hour.  White audience, hosted incredibly big-name acts during the 40s and 50s with Percy Hughes' house band for six years.  In 1955 the owner was Ray Perkins. Went country/western in mid 1950s.

Flamingo Club:  University Ave., St. Paul

Ford Union Hall in St. Paul (1950s)

The 4-M Club was advertised in the Minneapolis Spokesman as a "Twin City New Dance Hall" in May 1952.  It was located at 150 West 4th Street, across from the St. Paul Auditorium.  It was never mentioned again in the Spokesman.

14th Circle - folk venue at Hamline University

Freddie's Cafe:  605 Second Ave. So. (Lewis Building).  In the '30s and '40s Freddie's hosted Ella Fitzgerald, George Shearing, and Count Basie.  Pete Karalis bought it in 1959 and moved it around the corner to 211 So. Sixth St.  Was it the same Freddie's that was a downtown folk venue in 1962-63?

Fridley Armory

Frontier Club in Fridley (early '70s)

The Gables was located at Franklyn and Lyndale – now Rudolph’s.

Gibbon Ballroom

Gladys Ballroom, Montevideo

Golliwog Lounge:  top of the Sheraton Ritz.  Jazz venue, although John Denver appeared there in 1969.

Green Door in Hopkins  (1950s)

Green's Nite Club opened on November 26, 1952, at Western and Como in St. Paul.  Performing that night was "King" Larry Jazz Combo, "the Northwest's most danceable unit."  It was only mentioned this one time in the Minneapolis Spokesman.

The Grotto Ballroom was located in Winona. Was this the Ghora Kahn Grotto?

The Guthrie Theater opened May 7, 1963. Its first production was "Hamlet," directed by Sir Tyrone Guthrie. Guthrie and friends Oliver Rea and Peter Zeisler had been disenchanted with Broadway, and wanted to create a theater with a repertory company that would present the classics. The repertory company included George Grizzard, Hume Cronin and Jessica Tandy. The group advertised in the New York Times, soliciting cities that would be interested in sponsoring such a theater. Of the seven cities that responded, the founders were impressed with the demographics but mostly the enthusiasm of the Twin Cities for the project. A new multistage theater center on the banks of the Mississippi River opened June 25, 2006.


Guthrie Theater

Happy Hour:  See the Flame Cafe, Minneapolis

Hardegger's Ballroom, Lake Jefferson, Minnesota

Herb's, Lyndale Ave.

Hideaway:  See Chicago City Community Center.  Bruce Glewwe remembers going to the Hideaway "and it was probably the High Spirits playing. The band put lighter fluid on the drums and lit them on fire with black lights and a strobe light flashing. WOW!"

His and Hers, in the basement of the Foshay Tower, was formerly known as King Solomon’s Mines, a popular Rhythm and Blues club.  1969

Hollyhock Ballroom, Hatfield, Minnesota

Hoop-D-Doo on Hennepin, site of '50s jazz jam sessions.

Howard's Steak House.  Jazz venue, home of after-hours jam sessions.  In 1952 also known as Howard's Club Jazz.  Located at 715 (or 718) Olson Memorial Highway.  This apparently became Jim's (see below) for awhile, but in June 1954 it was back to being Howards.  It was displaced when the Highway was widened, possibly around 1957.

The Hullaballoo Teen Scene in St. Louis Park was the place to go in 1967.  This is so big, let's go to a separate page. 

Interlaken Ballroom, Farimount

Jewett's Point Ballroom in Faribault was owned by St. Louis Park dentist Irving Posnick.

Jim's Cafe Society opened in September 1953 at 717 Olson Memorial Highway.  This was only two numbers away from Howard's (see above). Then in January 1954 we see Jim Baker's Black and Tan Club, 715 Olson Memorial Highway, which the address of Howard's Club Jazz.  By June 1954 it was back to being Howard's Steak House.

The Joint:  West Bank bar

Jordan Teen Town

The Junior Pioneer Hall was built in 1909 and was (and is) located at 192 West 9th Street in St. Paul.  Judy Perkins (Percy Hughes's wife) and her Combo performed at a golf tournament dance there on July 28, 1951, and Little Richard appeared there in 1956.  From 1963 to 1973, the building served as the University of Minnesota's St. Paul General Extension Center. It is now occupied by Reigstad & Associates, who turned the gym into offices.  They don't allow tours.

Kashmiri Room, Ambassador Motor Hotel, St. Louis Park.  The Percy Hughes Trio was the house band from 1973 to 1982.

The Kato Ballroom was a traditional Midwestern ballroom, located in Mankato.

The Key Club opened on December 19, 1951 at the South of the Border bar, 1327-29 Washington Ave. So.  It became the main venue for jazz and rhythm & blues in the 1950s, at least as advertised in the Minneapolis Spokesman.

King of Diamonds:  Small club in St. Paul

King Solomon's Mines was located in the basement of the Foshay Tower, 114 So.9th Street.  Manny Desilva's Five O'Clock club became King Solomon's Mines in the fall of 1966.  Owner Dean Constantine, a dance instructor, brought in Connie Hechter's Afro-Cuban Sextet and then began booking  R&B acts, making it the only venue for black music downtown.  In 1968 the club was raided for underage drinking and the club lost its license.  See the story in full in Twin Cities Funk & Soul, page 29.  Became His and Hers in about 1969.

In 1949 the Minneapolis Spokesman advertised the opening of King's Valley, reached by taking US Highway 169 and County Road 1.  Patrons could take one of 12 limousines leaving from two locations including Annie's Barbeque.  "Truly the Valley of the Kings."

Kistler Building:  See Watson Hall.

Krueger's Haymow was the site of some dances in 1952-53, featuring Percy Hughes and His Orchestra.  Take South Robert past the Corral Drive-In on Highway 100. 

The Labor Temple:  117 Fourth Street SE, Minneapolis.  The building was built in 1925 as the Cateract #2 Masonic Lodge. The Masons lost the building during the Depression and at some point it became the Eagles' Club.  In 1947 it changed from the Eagles' Club to the Labor Temple.  It was the site of many dances held by and for the black community in the late 1940s through the 1950s.  From November 1950 to 1953, promoters Rufus Webster and D. P. Black (and from 1953 through 1956 just Black) brought major national acts to Minneapolis, almost exclusively to the Labor Temple.  In the 1960s it became known for booking national psychedelic acts.  It opened on February 2, 1969 under the direction of Community News, a group that had run the light show at Dania Hall.  The first act was the Grateful Dead with local band Blackwood Apology performing their rock opera "House of Leather."  The club was run by local promoter David Anthony.  Concerts were presented on Sunday nights on the third floor of the hall.  Fire code issues forced it to stop hosting concerts in mid 1970.  The building still exists, now numbered 101 Fourth Street SE (or 400 Central Ave. SE), home of the Aveda Institute.

Laidlaw VFW, Minneapolis - early Mike Waggoner and the Bops venue

The Lakeside Ballroom was in Glenwood, Minnesota.

Lakeview Coliseum:  Avon, Minnesota

Lake Marion Ballroom in Hutchinson (Brownton?)

Le Zoo was a coffeehouse with entertainment by folk singers in the fall of 1962. Possibly "across from Abdallah's on Lake Street."  Very popular with St. Louis Park teens, despite the 75 cent cover charge.  Here's an article about the folk group the Goldebriars, who had a regular gig at Le Zoo.  An article about folk venues in Life Magazine's December 14, 1962 issue noted that Le Zoo was famous for its sing-alongs.

The Lion's Den on Frost Ave. in Maplewood by Lake Phalen (St. Paul?) was home to the Deacons and the Lancers.

Log Cabin Ballroom, Sioux Valley

The LoKates teen club in North St. Paul was run by Lowell Reiks.

The Lyceum Theater was home to traveling jazz shows and rock shows.  It is now the site of Orchestra Hall.

McGuire's:  Arden Hills.  Blues

Magoo’s Pizza was next door to Mr. Lucky's/New City Opera House at 29th and Nicollet.  In 1965, Magoo's had a 21 and over side that featured jazz and a teen side that featured local bands.  In 1966 it was owned by Bob Roosen.  Jerry Lenz of the Nickel Revolution remembered that "Magoo’s had a different feel. While New City Opera House was a rock club, Magoo’s was more laid back and the music wasn’t as loud. They served pizza and beer and had plenty of seating for the audience."

                            
 

Majestic Ballroom:  Cottage Grove

Maple Lake Pavillion was across from Maple Lake on Hwy 55 in Maple Lake, Minn. Owned and operated by Kay Schue.  It's now Maple Lake Antiques.

The Marian Ballroom in Bloomington showcased the High Spirits, Chancellors, Underbeats, Accents, and Gregory Dee and the Avanties, among others.

The Marigold Ballroom was at 1336 Nicollet. Lost Twin Cities says that it was built in 1919 as Marigold Gardens.  In the 1940s there was a famous sign, "Never Grow Old Dancing at the Marigold."  Minneapolis's famous Grain Belt Beer sign was originally on top of the Marigold, from 1941-1950.  1962 ad:  "The New Marigold Ballroom - Minneapolis's Smartest and Largest."  1965 ad:  "Hey! It's Upbeat!  Dance every Friday nite at the Marigold Ballroom to top local and national groups."  The Marigold Ballroom was the site of many acts that R&B station KUXL brought in.  The venue held up to 5,000 people.  It closed in May 1975 - its last owners were Vivian and Elmer Larson.  A Hyatt Regency sits at the spot today.

The Marquee Lounge, located in Spirit Lake, Iowa, was run by Tom Brown, late of the band the Gas Company.

Mattie’s Barbecue was located at West 29th and Nicollet, near Mr. Lucky's and Magoo's.  Mojo Buford played there in 1962.

The Meadowbrook Roadhouse was in New Brighton.

The Medina Ballroom was built in 1956 by brothers Bob, Cliff, and Joe Raskob (along with friend Norm Vansion) near their home. The Raskobs saw a need for a place to dance in Western Hennepin County. The entertainment complex also included a bowling alley. In 1959 it was advertised as the “new Medina Ballroom” featuring a Teen Age Dance. Also playing was Whoopie John. In 1961, the Rock-o-Tones played at the Teen Age Dance. On June 17, 1974, the facility burned to the ground, killing two including the daughter of an owner. It was rebuilt, and remains in the family to this day.

Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington hosted many concerts, the most memorable being the Beatles in August 1965 (see separate page).  It was torn down in 1985 to make way for the Mall of America. 

The Minneapolis Armory is at 500-530 So. 6th Street.  It was built in 1936 and put on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.  It was saved from the wrecking ball by court order and as of 2006 was used as a parking structure (below).  Plans to renovate the structure have been floating around for years.  Here's one from June 2012.  A great video is on Youtube.


Minneapolis Armory

The first iteration of the Minneapolis Auditorium was built in 1905 at 11th and Nicollet.  That building became the Lyceum Theater.  The second (pictured below) was built in 1927 at Grant Street and Stevens Ave. [1301 Second Ave. So.] for $3.15 million.  It had a 10,000 pipe tubular pneumatic action Kimball organ, said to be the fourth largest in the world, "the voice of Minneapolis."  It is now in storage.  The Minneapolis Auditorium was home to the Minneapolis Lakers, the state's first professional sports team, from 1947 to 1960.  The auditorium was demolished in 1989.

Minneapolis Auditorium
 

Mr. Nib’s was at 2609 – 26th Ave. So. in Minneapolis. In his blog, Ian Stade at Hennepin County Library Special Collections talks about the "Hub of Hell," (26th and 26th):  See more in a City Pages article from 1997.  Photo below courtesy Special Collections. 

Mr. Lucky's: 2935 Nicollet at Lake.  Opened in December 1962 as the only local night club devoted exclusively to teenagers. (Formerly the Loon Club)  In 1965 it was open Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday nights and Sunday afternoons.  In 1966 it and neighboring Magoo’s Pizza were owned by Bob Roosen.  It became the New City Opera House.  The ad directly below is from 1964.  The building there now is owned by Sears and was built in 1977.

More Down Stairs, located (in the basement of the Roaring '20s) next to the Arcade clothing store at Fifth and Hennepin, was the showcase for Danny’s Reasons in 1968. It was an honest-to-goodness bar as opposed to the teen clubs a lot of the bands had been playing.

The Monterrey Ballroom in Owatonna was owned by St. Louis Park dentist Irving Posnick.

Myrt’s Café opened at Minnetonka Blvd. and Dakota in St. Louis Park in 1957, catering to the teen-age trade. It was run by Mr. and Mrs. Truman Hedwell. It created some controversy as to whether the police were enforcing the law (re: drinking, smoking, curfew) evenhandedly at Myrt’s.

Nacirema Club (American spelled backwards):  Minneapolis.  Jazz

The New City Opera House was located at 29th and Nicollet.  It was previously the old Mr. Lucky's, updated in about 1967.  Zippy Caplan thought up the new name.  Magoo’s Pizza Parlor opened next door but served beer, so kids had to be carded to get in. In 1968, New City was advertised as “The Upper Midwest’s only Psychedelic House of Rock!” and “Minnesota’s Own Electric Circus.” See 1968 above for a memorable appearance by Cream, who were apparently expecting a real Opera House.

The New Munich Ballroom was one of many small town venues, this one located 30 miles north of St. Cloud.

New Riverside Cafe:  West Bank Co-op featuring folk, blues, and bluegrass.

Newport Teen Center

No Exit - folk venue at Macalester College

Norway Hall, 2902 Chicago Ave. So. in Minneapolis, was used for dances by the black community in the late 1940s.  Chuck Berry played there in April 1956.  The building there now was built in 1995.

Oasis in Lino Lakes ('70s)

The Office Lounge at 217 South 6th Street featured Gary Nielsen and the Night-Caps. It was a 21 or older venue.

Old Southern Barbeque:  Jazz venue.

Orchid Club:  See Dreamland. 

(Freddie's) Padded Cell was located at 925 W. Lake Street at Colfax Ave. Opened in 1953 by Paul Fink, who presented jazz until folk music took over and he left town.  The club hosted Peter, Paul, and Mary, Jack Teagarden, Kai Winding, and Peter Nero.  "For a couple of dollars and a pitcher of beer we saw loads of talent!"  The folk trio the Journeymen recorded their "Coming Attractions-Live!" album at the Cell in 1962.  The cover described it as an "on-the-spot recording of an actual performance in Minneapolis's famed Padded Cell."  An article about folk venues in Life Magazine's December 14, 1962 issue noted that the Padded Cell served "near beer."

Palms Ballroom in Renville

Pappa Joe's A-Go-Go was in Minneapolis in 1966.

Paradise Ballroom, Waconia, owned by Elmer Wagner.

The Paragon in Coon Rapids was an over-21 club owned by musician Ceedy Van Dusen and Gary Finch.

Peppermint Club:  See Chicago City Community Center

The Phyllis Wheatley House was a settlement house started in 1924.  In 1929 it was moved to 809 Aldrich Ave. No.  It provided many services, classes, entertainment, and more to the community.  When black acts came to town and the hotels would not allow them to stay, they would stay at the Wheatley House.  Many dances were held at the facility.  The building was demolished when Interstate 94 was built through the neighborhood in about 1984.  The present address is 1301 - 10th Ave. North.  The Aldrich building is pictured below.



Pink Pussycat:  1331 Hennepin Ave.

The Pizza Plaza at 621 Excelsior Blvd. in Hopkins featured jazz trios in 1958.

The Pla-Mor Ballroom was in Rochester. Jerry Lenz of the Nickel Revolution found this notice of its demise in December 2006:  “The Pla-Mor Ballroom, where Rochester area couples danced to live bands for more than half a century, now has disappeared into a pile of rubble and into city history. The 55-year-old building would have been too costly to restore.”
 

The Plantation Night Club at the Wildwood Amusement Park in White Bear Lake was the site of not-so-legal gambling and big bands.  The park closed in 1938.

Playmor Ballroom in Pipestone

The Point Supper Club:  Olson Memorial Highway and Winnetka/Country Club Road.  Opened in 1956 as a jazz venue by Larry Hork.  Burned down on October 18, 1973.  Percy Hughes' Orchestra was the house band.

The Poodle was on Hennepin, next to the Cafe DiNapoli, and was a jazz venue.

Princeton Ballroom, Princeton

The Prison was in Burnsville.  It had two stages at opposite end of the floor.  The owner was Pat Rains, who later moved to Los Angeles and became the manager of Al Jarreau.  Bruce Glewwe:  "Also went to the Prison a number of times. There was a band there I think called Show Time. Their sets would start with the white guys playing probably a Temptations song and then the 'cool' black guys would stroll in and join the band and sing a dance song that would fill the floor."

Proaches Popular Ballroom in Ellsworth, Wisconsin.

The Prom Ballroom was at 1190 University in St. Paul.  Glenn Miller and his Orchestra played the grand opening in 1941; the ballroom held 6,000, and 3,000 had to be turned away.  Miller would be followed by other well-known artists including Count Basie, and Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. Swing, polka, jazz, and rock n' roll groups played the space, spanning such diverse musical acts from Lawrence Welk to Buddy Holly and Crickets, to the Police. Harry Given was one of the hall's four co-owners in 1959.  The house orchestra was the Jules Herman Orchestra.  The Prom offered a 9000 square foot hard maple floor. Small booths and tables ringed the edge, where dancers could rest and order food. In 1956, WDGY's Don Kelly hosted a Saturday dance for adults, and Bill Bennett (and Coke) sponsored a teen dance on Fridays.  The ballroom met with the wrecking ball on September 29, 1987 and a fitness center occupies the former location on University Ave.  See a feature on the Prom on Lost Twin Cities II.  In the 1950s and '60s the Prom hosted some of the biggest acts in the country.  Click to see this phenomenal list, provided by Timothy D. Kehr.

The photo on the right is from October 1958,  at some Oktoberfest no doubt, but it does give a peek inside

Pudge’s was located at 2155 Ford Parkway in St. Paul.

The Purple Barn:  see the Barn.

The Purple Cigar was apparently the successor to the Hullaballoo Teen Scene - see the Individual Page for more.

The Purple Onion Pizza Parlor (722 N Snelling Ave. at the corner of Minnehaha Ave. in St. Paul, now Hamline apartments). Dylan played here in the fall of 1959 and spring of 1960.

Radisson Hotel Flame Room, not to be confused with the Minneapolis or St. Paul Flame Clubs.

Ramaley's Ballroom was at 666 Grand Ave. in St. Paul in 1957.  That May the Dining Car Employee's Union Local 516 held their Inagural Ball there, with much by Percy Hughes.

The Red Baron:  Downtown Minneapolis, @ 1970

The Red Feather was a club on Hennepin near Fourth Street that featured jazz in the '40s.  The club featured an integrated band that ultimately did not sit well with segregated Minneapolis.

A different Red Feather Nite Club opened at 665 University Ave. in St. Paul in February 1958 with C.V. Williams and his band.

Red Roof Ballroom, Ellsworth, Minnesota

The Regal Tavern was located on 7th Street and Olson Memorial Highway in North Minneapolis.  Owner James T. Fuller, Sr. brought in blues acts like Mojo Buford.  Also known as the "Bucket of Blood" for all the fights.  Fuller moved his business to the Cozy Bar.

Richfield VFW - early Mike Waggoner and the Bops venue

River Road Club:  Mendota.  Known for its unruly clientele and the raucously fine music of Augie Garcia. 

The Ritz in Lismore, Minnesota

Riverview Supper Club at 2314 West River Road was an R&B venue.

Road Buddy's Cafe:  St. Paul.  Jazz

Rochester Mayo Auditorium

Rodney's and Mine:  494 Strip in Bloomington, opened 1971

The Roller Garden, located at 5622 West Lake Street in St. Louis Park, started life in 1930 as an arena built for horse shows.  In mid-1943, Arthur Eaton installed a wooden floor and added roller skating to the offerings at the arena. In 1946, the facility was called the Pastime Arena Roller Rink – “One of the world’s largest rinks” – Music by Tommy Arsenault. Eaton sold the arena in 1957. The 1964 directory referred to it as just the Roller Garden, and the facility became a part time rock ‘n’ roll dance to venue. In 1969, the building was purchased by current owner, Bill Sahly.

The Royal Court at the King's Inn (Excelsior Blvd. and Highway 100 in St. Louis Park) offered live entertainment.  A duo called the Quasi Kinship performed there in August 1969.

The Rusty Nail was in Crystal.  Or was it in downtown Minneapolis?

Ryan's Bass Lake Ballroom:  4 1/2 miles NW of Robbinsdale on County Road 10.

St. James Armory

Owen Husney of the High Spirits remembers that "St. Louis Park High School also had music. I first saw Koerner, Ray, and Glover there in '63 in the auditorium.. The Chancellors, High Spirits, Novas, etc. all played dances there on Friday nights. It was the place to play."

The St. Paul Auditorium was built in 1907 in Rice Park.  It was demolished in 1982 and is now the site of the Ordway Theater.

St. Paul Civic Center had both a theater and an auditorium.  The arena opened on January 1, 1973, and had seating capacity of approximately 16,000 for hockey. The Civic Center was the home of both iterations of the Minnesota Fighting Saints of the WHA - the first from 1973–1976 and the second from 1976-1977. The arena was renamed the RiverCentre in the mid 1990s. The arena was torn down in 1998 to make way for the Xcel Energy Center which opened in 2000. The arena was also the home of Verne Gagne's American Wrestling Association (AWA).



The Safari Club was located at 2705 Highway 55, 2.5 miles south of the Mendota Bridge.  It was a young adult club on Thursday to Saturday nights.  A news article dated October 24, 1963, describes it as the Upper Midwest's first teen-age night club, to open November 15.  It was a "members-only key club," open to kids from 16 through 20.  Entertainment was to include folk singers, jazz combos, surfing music, and comedians.  A hootenanny was tentatively planned for every Sunday afternoon.  The Saturday night dress code was to be semi-formal.  Much was made of the code of conduct, including no alcohol; detectives would be on duty.  The club was to be owned by a corporation, whose principal stockholders were Bobby Mecay, a University of Minnesota student; Charles Mecay; Richard H. Murray; and David Eckstrand, a former instructor at St. Thomas Academy who would manage the club. 

Schlief's Little City was in Inver Grove Heights.  See a picture of this polka place here.  Sandy Wilcox writes:  "This was a dance hall that I remember going to with my parents when I was young. People brought their families and all their children and sat at long tables and danced to the polka & waltz. It was like a big wedding celebration. They served beer and soda pop. When they did the polka, the whole building would bounce. It was a great family place to go on a Sunday afternoon. We could not even remember where this place was located; so I was searching the internet, but all I found was your website stating it was in West St. Paul and another website with the following un-answered question:  'Anyway, does anybody remember exactly where Schlief's Little City dance hall was and whatever happened to it? My foggy recollection (which could be way wrong) is that it was on Hwy 55 somewhere between the Mendota bridge and where MN 55 meets up with US 52/MN 56. Possibly somewhere near the intersection of Hwy 55 and Hwy 3. You could easily see its big-letter sign from the highway, and it was quite a landmark.'  I'm wondering what ever happened to it and when it closed up. Would appreciate any information. Thank you!"  Thank you, Sandy, for your memories and research.  Randall Quade clears up Sandy's questions:  "This was west of the intersection of Highway 55 and South Robert Trail off the north service road. It went on--due to the popularity of the "Urban Cowboy" movie--to become a huge country and western bar called "Peabody's". I used to play there in the mid-'80s with a band called "Saddletramp". The bar featured a huge dance floor and booked national, regional, and local acts. Peabody's burned down around 1986-87 (not sure) in an early morning fire that took the building to the ground. No remnants of the bar exist and the site is covered with a new commercial development."

Seventh Street Rec was located in St. Paul. Open Friday and Saturday night, ages 16-20.

Shakopee Teen Center

The Shoreview Roller Rink was located on the northwest corner of Hodgson Road and Highway 96.  Bill Diehl hosted the Trashmen here.

Showboat Ballroom, Lake Benton – owned by Jimmy Thomas

Silver Dollar Club - 200 E. Lake Street.  Hans P. Hanson opened this Country & Western dance hall on January 24, 1964.  Chill Hillman and His Actions played for the first-nighters.

Silver Skate Roller Rink in North St. Paul

The Skyway 12 Club was a run down tavern located at 15009 Wayzata Blvd. in 1964-65 - "Where the Action Is."  See info on this old roadhouse on Robb Henry's blog.

Snyder's Bar and Cafe:  6th Street downtown Minneapolis across from Juster's men's store.  The first floor was a jazz club and the second floor hosted some questionable gambling.  Patrons were white; Percy Hughes was the house band 1948-49.

Someplace Else was located 'aha! In Robbinsdale.

South of the Border:  1327-29 Washington Ave. So.  See Key Club above.

Stem Hall:  Part of the St. Paul Auditorium

Sweet Georgia Brown's/Goofy's:  Minneapolis jazz venue

Swing City, 1682 Rice Street in St. Paul featured Rook Ganz and had ties to Kid Cann. 

The Taste Show Lounge was at 14 North Fifth Street in Minneapolis, an R&B venue.

Ted's Ballroom, Ghent, Minnesota

Tempo:  West Bank bar

Coffeehouses and other folkie hangouts were prolific as well, the most famous of which was the Ten O’ Clock Scholar in Dinkytown, where Bob Dylan played from fall 1959 to fall 1960. (Everyone just called it the Scholar.)  A blog entry says there was a fire in December 1965 which started in the grocery store next door.  Not sure about this but it may have been the site of the proposed Red Barn, which was never built because of community protest in 1970-71. The address was 414 14th Ave SE, and it is now a parking lot.

Terp Ballroom was located in Austin.

Times Square:  Formerly Diamond Lil's, bought by Danny Stevens and opened on New Years Eve, 1968.  Danny owned it for two years, and brought in national musical acts as well as comedians like the Smothers Brothers.  Musicians would come over after their shows at bigger venues and jam into the night here. 

The Tom Tom Room was at the Minnehaha Lanes bowling alley in St. Paul.
 

Tower Ballroom, Austin.

Treasure Inn:  Lost Twin Cities II describes this jazz club located just outside the St. Paul city limits on Rice Street (at Wheelock Parkway).  It opened in November 1946, and existed for two and a half years.  It was owned by three African-American entrepreneurs, Richard Mann, Claude Mason, and Howard Brown.  A matchbook advertised its "Hot Sepia Dance Music."  It featured black musicians such as Lester Young, Oscar Pettiford, and Prince Rogers, Sr. and drew white college kids as well blacks.  A great ad reads "Whamp!  Dig this Nervous Opening!  Percy Hughes and his great dance band.  Let's Rock! Rock! Rock!  Let's Dance! Dance! Dance!  Let's Go! Go! Go!  Real Cool and Crazy!"  The dancing got so cool and crazy that the "nervous" owners had to shore up the floor to keep it from falling into the basement.  Leigh Kamman broadcast live shows from the Treasure Inn on his "We Call it Jazz" show, Sundays at 9pm on WLOL.  A contributor to its demise (1948) was a fatal shooting. 

Triangle Bar was on the West Bank.

Uncle Sam’s: see Depot



Union Hall, Ford Parkway in St. Paul

Valli Pizza's Grotto Room was a folk destination in 1962.

Vic's Cocktail Lounge, 807 (507?) Hennepin, started advertising jazz performances in the Minneapolis Spokesman in April 1954.  An ad from that July shows incoming acts such as Lester Young, Earl Bostic, Big Jay McNeely, and Illinois Jacquet.  Became (with the Dome) the Jockey Club, then the Roaring Twenties.

Viking Dance Hall:  Minneapolis

Vincent Van Go Go?  Really?  Downtown Minneapolis.

Wakota Arena, South St. Paul.  In 1964 WDGY's Bill Diehl hosted shows there.  It was the venue for a 1967 dance featuring nominees of the first annual Connie Awards.

Watson Hall first gets mentioned in the Minneapolis Spokesman in February 1954 when John Ritchie, owner of DeLuxe Recreation at 637 Olson Memorial Highway, announces a new dance hall on the second floor of the Kistler Building, Olson Highway at Lyndale, which he had purchased in 1949.  The building would also feature a hotel, cafe, and record shop.  No performances were noted.  Then in July 1954 Watson Hall is announced as a new dance hall at 635 Olson Highway, "delightfully cooled by nature."  The next month it is revealed that it is the home of George Watson Post 522 and showcases Oscar Frazier and his Combo Fridays through Sundays.  Next in December 1954 there is a Grand Opening Dance at Ebony Hall/Ballroom, 635 Olson Highway.  More dances at Ebony Hall follow.  It apparently goes dark, then re-opens in August 1955, and by October is billed as the "Midwest's Most Fabulous Spot."  In December it is "The Twin Cities Most Beautiful Ballroom."

Whisky a Go Go was an over 21 spot located at 435 St. Peter in St. Paul.

White House:  Golden Valley jazz venue

The Whole Coffee House was in Coffman Union at the U of M

Windom Armory

YES Club in White Bear Lake (teen club)
 

 
LOCAL DISK JOCKEYS OF THE 1950s, '60s, and early '70s

Some good web sites are:

http://radiotapes.com/  (Tom Gavaras)

http://www.twincitiesradioairchecks.com/  (Rick Burnett)
https://www.reelradio.com/   (Paid subscription only)
http://www.440int.com/440sat.html  (Disk Jockey database)

The dates given are not exclusive - they may have been there before and/or after.  Corrections and additions are welcome!  Real names are given in parentheses.

Dean Alexander - WISK (1959)
Dan Allan - WMIN (1954-58), WLOL (1959), KSTP (1970)
Terry Allan (Terry Stripsky) - WAYL (1964), KQRS (1966-78)

Dan Anderson - WLOL (1954-59) - on the "Mr. Music Show"  5/58:  D.A. Special:  Freeway Club (4-7pm M-F), Swing Club (noon to 6 pm Saturdays).  Could be the same Dan Anderson who was a host of "Record Hop" on Channel 9 TV from 1957-59.

Herb Oscar Anderson - KSTP (1954-56), WDGY (1956-57)  See interview in 1956 above.  Went to New York:  WHN, WOR, and from 1960 to 1968 on the top rated Top Forty station WABC where he was the Morning Mayor of New York.  Here's a site with a nice Profile of Herb Oscar Anderson by Scott Benjamin.

Marc Anderson – KDWB (1969-72), WDGY (1973-74), KDWB again.   Went to WABC in New York.
Ed Anthony - WLOL (1965)

Paul Anthony (Ralph Hull) - KDWB (1964 as Paul Anthony), KUXL (1964 -66 as Preacher Paul Anthony).  Went to XERB in Mexico with Wolfman Jack in 1966.

Wayne Anthony - KQRS (1969)

Bill Armstrong - WDGY (3/1956-57).  Armstrong worked at three other Storz stations (KOWH in Omaha, WTIX in New Orleans, and WQAM in Miami) before coming to WDGY in February 1956. He was drafted in January 1957, but returned to WDGY as Program Director in November 1957, serving in the National Guard from 1957-63. Storz ad:  "Smooth, mystery-tuner, birthday acknowledger, actor, impersonator, writer, newscaster, public speaker, producer, ex-radio a.e."  Armstrong then pursued a political career, serving in the Colorado State House of Representatives (1963-64), Colorado State Senate (1965-72), US Congressman from Colorado (1973-79), and US Senator from Colorado (1979-91).  He is now the President of Colorado Christian University.

Stu Armstrong - KEYD (1954)
Prime Minister Billy G. - KUXL
Sam Babcock - WDGY  (1964)
"Boom Boom" Bailey - WDGY (1972-73)
Chris Bailey - KDWB (1969)
Len Bart - WDGY (1955-56)
Captain Billy - WYOO (1974)
"Catman" Tom Barnard - KSTP (1974), KQRS
J.J. Barnes - KUXL (1967)
Tal Bartell - WYOO

Bill Bauman - WDGY (1954-55)
J. Walter Beethoven - WDGY (1964)

Bill Bennett - WDGY (1956-60)  In 1956, came from another Storz station WTIX in New Orleans.  Had his name officially changed from Moriarty as part of a St. Patrick's Day promotion.  Once led his own orchestra; WWII Veteran.  Storz ad:  "Comedian, emcee, TV performer, recording star, teen-dance innovator, 'Northwest's outstanding radio personality,' likeable, perpetual smiler, teen-age columnist, magician, amateur clown."  Starting in April 1956, hosted shows at the Prom Ballroom on Saturday nights.  Wrote a teen-oriented column distributed in 130 school papers. 

Bob Berglund - WWTC (1974), WDGY (1979)
Tom Bernard - KSTP (1974-75), WDGY (2/1975- "The Catman")
Tom Berry - WDGY (1972)
Pharaoh Black (Thornton Jones) - KUXL (May 1, 1975-1979)
Art Blaske – news – KDWB, WDGY (1964)
True Don Bleu – KDWB (1968-78)
Ron Block - KDWB (1967-69).  On the November 18, 1967 hit list:  "KDWB apologizes for what Ron Block said Tuesday morning."
Benny Blore (Bill Hartman) - WYOO (1973), KDWB (1974-76)
Chuck Blore - KDWB (1966)


Don Bowman - KDWB (1963-64).  Image from KDWB Fabulous Forty Survey, December 21, 1963.  Don Betzold Collection, courtesy Pavek Museum of Broadcasting.







Jay J. Bowman - WDGY (1968)
Steve Bowman - WWTC
Jim (J. Peter) Boysen - WLOL (1957-59)
Bob Bradley - WLOL (1954-58)  The "Swing Club" show played some rock 'n' roll in '53-'55, but mostly covers.
Susan Bradley - KQRS (1972), KRSI-FM (1972)
Gary Bridges - WDGY (1976)
Jerry Brooke - WDGY (1968), KDWB (1970), WYOO (1974),
Brother Bob - WYOO (1974-76)

Charlee Brown - (Dave Nixon) - KDWB (1963-67, again 5/25/1970-71).  Image from KDWB Fabulous Forty Survey, July 20, 1963.  Don Betzold Collection, courtesy Pavek Museum of Broadcasting.

      





Chuck Buell – KDWB (1969)
Paul Bunyan - WDGY (1964-65)
Don Buehler - KSTP (1970)
Scott Burton - WISK, WDGY (1965-71) 

In 1969 he was WDGY Program Director.  From a 1970 ad:  "The Solid Sound of Scott Burton starts out your day with his entertaining Burton 'n Eggs Show, morning from 6 to 9.  Road information, features, music.  A Touch of Taste.  Join the Call-In to Scott on the Good Morning Line, 827-9955."  Burton died of cancer on March 26, 2008.

Charlie Bush - KSTP (1970-73)
Mike Butts - KDWB (1976)
 

Steve Cannon (Bernard Cannon) - WMIN (1949-54), WLOL (1956-57), KSTP-AM (1958-71), WCCO (1971-10/97).  Died in April 2009.  In a column dated January 24, 1954, Will Jones called Cannon a "Hep Talking radio disc jockey."  Image from 1964 courtesy Pavek Museum of Broadcasting.






Johnny Canton – WDGY (1966-77)

From a 1970 ad:  Good Morning Twin Cities!  Johnny Canton takes the morning in easy stride.  A Touch of music, a few laughs, entertaining you from 9 til noon.   Request your favorite song, hear it, and win it on Johnny's Phon-A-Song Line, 827-9955.  Johnny appeared in "Airport" and "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" and hosted "Bowlerama! on TV.  In 1974 he was WDGY's program director.

Hugh Carlson - WDGY (1965)
Roy Carr - WLOL (1954), WTCN
Scott Carpenter - WWTC
Walt Carpenter - WDGY (1961)
Captain Billy - WYOO
Chuck Casey - KDWB (1964)
Catman - see Tom Bernard
Joel Cedarholm - WYOO (1975)
Chuck Cell - KDWB (1963-64), WTCN-TV (1973)
Jack Chapman - WDGY (1964)
Bob Chase - WYOO (1972-73)
Todd Chase - KDWB (1968)
Bob Chasteen - KDWB (1959)
Ray Christensen - WLOL (PD in 1956)
Bob Christie (Jim Larkin) - KRSI (1968)
Dick Clark a/k/a Mike Ryan - WYOO (1973)

Bill Cleary - WDGY (1954)
Steve Cochran - KDWB
Randy Cook – WISK (1959), KDWB (1959-64)
Dave Cooper - WYOO (1975)
Cosmic Cowboy - KSTP-AM (1975)
B.J. Crocker - WWTC
Mort Crowley - WDGY (1964-65)
Evan Curfew (Curt Lundgren) - KUXL
Jerry Cunning - WLOL (1954-58 "The Nightwatch"), KTCR (1973)
Bobby Dale - KDWB (1960-61)
Dandy Dan Daniel – WDGY (1957-60).  Todd Storz hired him for his station in Omaha in February 1957 and within two weeks moved him to WDGY.  Storz ad:  "Tall, thin, friendly, contest-minded, safety-conscious, record-hopper, Texas-drawler, heavily-sponsored."  Went to WMCA in New York

Diamond Jim Dandy (James Brian Everts) – WDGY (1965-68) (b. Feb. 24, 1942, d. Oct. 20, 2010).  Final show was May 25, 1968 - hear airchecks on www.radiotapes.com/WDGY.html  He returned to WDGY in May 1969 to replace Rob Sherwood when he left for KDWB-AM.

Big Al Davis (Al Arneson) - KSTP-AM (1973), WYOO (1976)
Bobby Davis - KDWB (1968)  "Super Boob" in TV Guide ad
Bob Dayton - WMIN (1969), KDAN (1970), WDGY (1971-73)
B. Mason Dean - WDGY (1966-67)

Joe Della Malva - WDGY (1956).  Storz ad:  "News director, newscaster, WDGY news center overseer, Sound-Off editor, tipster-ringleader, scooper (on nearly every important local story), beauty judge, Simca-owner, pop science devourer.

Jimmy Delmont - WCOW (1954), WMIN
Gary DeMaroney - WYOO (1976)

Bill Diehl – WMIN (1948-49, 1951-55), WTCN (1955-56), WDGY (1956-66), WCCO (1967-1995).  Click his name for a separate page on this Twin Cities radio icon.

Johnny Dollar (Robert Dean (Bob) Moomey) - WDGY (1963-65)  [11-17-1936 to 1-19-2008]
Don Doty - WTCN (1954-56), KSTP (1958-60)
Jack Douglas - WCOW, WMIN (1958)

Michael J. Douglas (Wegner) - KDWB (1972-73), WYOO (1975-76), KSTP-FM/KS95 (1979-94).  With Chuck Knapp, half of the team of "Knapp & Donuts" on KS95.  Died April 24, 2013 at the age of 65.

Dick Driscoll –WMIN (1958), WDGY ("Dracula") (1958-61), WTCN (1961-64), KQRS (1965-69), WWTC (1969-76, 1979-85), WAYL (1973-79), KLBB (1989-94)   These dates may not be accurate, since Driscoll worked at so many stations and some even concurrently.  He also worked for WTCN-TV from 1961-1980 and 1983-1985.  He was brilliant at voices; he auditioned as Dracula at WDGY and was hired the same day. 

Don Duchene - KDWB (1961-64), KQRS (1971).  Image from KDWB Fabulous Forty Survey, June 15, 1963.  Don Betzold Collection, courtesy Pavek Museum of Broadcasting.








Dave Dudley (David Darwin Pedruska)- KEVE   Died December 2003
Rick Easton - KRSI (1969)
John Evans - WDGY (1954-55)
Eric Edwards - WDGY (9/1974-)

Merle "Hub Cap" Edwards - WMIN (1949-54).  Merle had a late-night "Uncle Merle" request show in '53-'54 where he played rock 'n' roll and rhythm & blues, including tunes by Clyde McPhatter and Little Richard.

John L. Evans - WDGY (1955-57)
Paul Evans (Curt Lundgren) - KUXL (1966),WMIN (1968), WCCO-FM (1976)
Peter Evensen - KSTP (1958-59)
John Fineberg - KQRS (1972), KRSI-FM (1973)
Larry Fischer - WLOL (1951-53), WTCN (1954-56).  Moved to Milwaukee in 1956.
Jack Fisher (The Ole Reb) - WLOL
George Donaldson Fischer - KQRS (1966-72), KSJN (1974)
Arne Fogel –WWTC
Charlie Fox (James Martin) - KDWB (1975)
Dave Fransen - WDGY (1961)
Don French - KDWB (1960)
Bob Friend – WISK (1959 - Freund?), KDWB (1959-63)
Ralph Jon Fritz - KRSI (1967)
Stu Gang (Jeffrey Stewart) - WTCN-TV (1964)
Bill Gardner - KDWB (1973)
Greg Gears - WWTC (1973)
Anthony Gee - KRSI (1969)
Billy G. "The Prime Minister of R&B" - KUXL
Steve Gibbons/Ugly Steve Steele - WYOO (1972)
Tony Glover - KDWB Underground (1970)

"Tuneful" Tommy Graham - KTCR (1970); KSTP, WYOO, WRAH (all 1972); KSTP-FM (1976)  Tommy Graham was apparently a colorful character with a long history in the music industry.  Stories:

"Last I heard he was in Dallas, at least two years ago. He had a quad bypass, though after that I watched him eat a steak/lobster dinner drenched in melted butter and gulping wine. Guy lived big."  Stuart Balcomb remembers:  "When I knew Tommy, he looked like Alan Hale Jr. with a bleached-blond Little Richard bouffant. What a hoot.  He said he had worked with Dick Clark, and even took a fall for him during the payola scandal. When I knew him in 1978, Tommy was working as an arranger for the John Davidson Singers Workshop on Catalina Island off of LA."

John Grimes - KSTP (1956)
Jo Jo Gunne - WYOO (1976)
Smokin' Joe Hager - KSTP (1973-75), KDWB (1976-77)
Sammy Hale - WDGY (1961)
Brother Bob Hall - WYOO (1974-76)
Dick Halvorson - WISK (1959), KDWB (1959-61)
Dan Halyburton - WDGY (1977)
John Hamilton - KDWB (1967)
Lance “Tac” Hammer – KDWB (66-69), KRSI (69-74), KQRS (1974-79), WLOL-FM
Dick Harris - KDWB   TV Guide ad:  "The Controversial Dick Harris.  M-Sat midnight to 2am - Call in - if you dare"
Steve Hatley - KSTP-AM (1975)
Don Hawkins - KSTP (1945-59)  Don "Night Hawk" Hawkins show.  Died in 2007 at age 95.
Paul Hedberg – KDWB (1961-12/30/1962)
Marv Henry - WLOL
John Hines - WWTC (1973)
Dolly Holiday - KSTP (1970)
Bob Hooper - KDWB (1976)

Louis E. "Lou" House, Jr. - WDGY (1955), WMIN (1957-58), KDWB (1959) - possibly the only black DJ in the market.  In 1957-58 WMIN put weekly ads in the Minneapolis Spokesman urging readers to listen to "Lucky Lou," Sundays from 10 pm to 2 am.  His program was described as "Jazz and Bits and Pieces of Music."

Ralph Hull - KDWB (1964), KUXL (as Preacher Paul Anthony)
Jim Hutton (James Utton) - KSTP (1958-59)
Slim Jim Iverson - KEYD (1954), WDGY, KSTP, WLOL
Paul Jay - KDWB (started 11/26/1960-1/61), KSTP-AM (1965-66)
Lord Jeffrey (Jeffrey Diamond) - KUXL (1967-1970)
Brad Johnson -WDGY
Don Johnson - WISK (1959), KDWB (1959)
Red Jones - WDGY  (1963-64)
Tom Jones (Jim Channell) - KSTP-AM (1973-75)
T. Michael Jordan - KDWB (1968)
Leigh Kamman - WLOL (1940-42, 1947-50, 1956-58), KSTP (1958-73), MPR (1973-2007 - "The Jazz Image")
Bob Kaye - KEYD (1954)

Don Kelly – WLOL (1954-57), WDGY (1957-60).  Storz ad:  "'Morning Mayor,' happiest man in radio, radar-location divulger, 'Smilin' Irishman,' singer, comedian, wit." 

Machine Gun Kelly (Gary Sinclair) - KSTP-AM (1972-75)
Tim Kelly - KDWB (1976) - Sam Sherwood's son
Alan Kennedy - KDWB (1959)
Rodger Kent - WDGY (1950), KSTP (1954-57), WCCO, WTCN, WAYL, KTWN, KLBB
Mesa "The Fox That Rocks" Kincaid - WYOO (1976)

Randy Kirschbaum - KQRS (early '70s).  Tom L. says "She was very soft spoken (kind of sounds like a public radio DJ) but sexy too."
 

Chuck Knapp - KSTP-AM (1973-75)
Roger Krupp - WDGY
Russ Kruse - WTCN (1954)
Bill Lake (also know as Carl Lensgraf) - WYOO (1974)
Brad LaMay - KRSI-FM (1973), KFMX (1974)
“Bullet” Bob Lange - KDWB (1972-79)
Jim Larkin – KRSI
Joel Larson - WWTC  (1973)
Daryl Laub - KSTP
Gene Leader (Gene "Mean Gene" Okerlund)- WDGY (1969-70)

From a 1970 ad:  "Follow the leader!  That's Gene Leader, everyday from 3 to 7.  Keeping company with more people than a sold-out Twins game.  Gene's solid sound is excellent company going home." 

D.J. Leary - KDWB (1963)  "Hotline"  This photo is from the front of the March 16, 1963 KDWB Fabulous Forty Survey, Don Betzold Collection, courtesy Pavek Museum of Broadcasting.  The caption:  "Used in recreation rooms coast to coast the D.J. Leary Dart Board."  Also remembered as "D.J. Leary with your Liveline."






Bruce Lee - KQRS (1968)
Stuart A. Lindman - WMIN (1949-54)
Denny Long – KRSI (1/1967-8/71), WCCO (9/71-  )

Don Loughnane - WDGY (1956-57)  In 1956 he came from Storz station WTIX in New Orleans.  At the time when WDGY went to rock 'n' roll (2/6/1956) Loughnane was the program director.

Curt Lundgren - WCCO FM, WCCO AM (see Paul Evans and Evan Curfew)
Mike McCormick - WDGY (1965)
John McDougall - WLOL (1947)
Pat McKay - WYOO (1976)
Barry McKinna (Siewart) – KDWB (1971)
Mike McCormick - WDGY
Tom McCrumb - WMIN (1954)
Joe McFarlin - KRSI (1964)
Pat McKay - WYOO (1976)
Jeff McKee - KDWB (1975-76)
Doug MacKinnon - WYOO (1972-73)

Stanley Mack – WDGY (1957-61).  Storz ad:  "Legitimate stager, vaudevillian, radioactor (Sam Spade series), man of a thousand voices, dialectician, singer, drummer."

Ty Mack - WDGY (1955)
Allen Peter Malmberg - KFMX (1974)
Stu Mann - WTCN
Gary Marshall - WYOO (1976)
Dave Martin - KQRS (1975)
Donald K. Martin – KDWB (1964), WDGY (1969-77)  Donald K. passed away on September 24, 2012.

Ralph Martin - WDGY (1956-57).  Storz ad:  "Crisp, incisive, smooth, news-voice of WDGY, commentator, community force."

Ernie Martz - WMIN (1954-56 - went into the military)
Jonny Matthews - KDWB (1968) "Go Underground with Jonny Matthews, 11 pm to 5 am"

Ralph Mauseth - WDGY (1955)
Peter Huntington “Hookshot” May – WDGY (1961), KDWB (1970), WCCO-FM  (also produced and managed Stillroven)
 

King Michael - WDGY (1970-72).  This is Mike Waggoner of the Bops!  From a 1970 ad:  "Hold court with King Michael every morning, midnight to 6.  Serving up the sounds of today with royal taste!  Mike programs with you in mind."

Johnny Michels - WDGY (9/1956)
Ken Mills - KRSI-FM, WCCO-FM
"Buffalo" Bob Montgomery - WCOW, WTCN (-1956), WCCO (1956-
Chucker Morgan - WYOO (1975-76)
Johnny Morris - WLOL (1947), KSTP (1954-58)
Throck Morton – WLOL
Bobby Moske - KQRS (1972)
Ray Moss - KUXL, XERB, KUXL (1968)

Hal Murray – KDWB (1959-63) - died September 17, 1988 at age 67.  Image from KDWB Fabulous Forty Survey, October 26, 1963.  Don Betzold Collection, courtesy Pavek Museum of Broadcasting.

Tom Murphy - WLOL (1964)
Cliff Nolan - WDGY (1961)
Randy Noriss - KEYD (1954)
Adam North - (nee Edward Van Cleve, Ph.D.) KDWB (1970-72), KRSI-FM (1973)
Don O'Brien - WDGY (1954-55), WCCO-TV (1964)
Ed O'Brien - KSTP-AM (1975), KDWB (1979)
Steve O'Brien - KDWB (1974)

James Francis Patrick “Professor” "Jim" O’Neill – KDWB (1961-8/25/1967).  Image from KDWB Fabulous Forty Survey, March 9, 1963.  Don Betzold Collection, courtesy Pavek Museum of Broadcasting.  Click on the link for a tribute to O'Neill written by Senator Betzold.

“Sweet" Michael O’Shea - WYOO (1973), WLOL (1973-76)
Big Daddy Glen Olson - WWTC (1973)
Phil Page - KDWB (1959-60)  Page had the 3-6 shift in December 1959:  "Color Radio as it Should Be"
Lorrin Palagi - KDWB
Tony Parker - KEYD (1954)
John Paul - WTCN
Al Paulson - WLOL (1947), WTCN (1954-55), KSTP (1972)
Steve Perrun - KDWB, U100, KSTP
Curt Perry - WDGY (1972-73)
Rod Person – WDGY (1960-61), KRSI, KSTP (1970-75)
John Pete - KQRS (1972), KRSI-FM (1972)

Carl Peterson - WLOL (1958-59)  3/1958:  Nightwatch, midnight to 6am - the "Swingin' Swede" answers record requests via Western Union only.  WDGY (1959).  Carl recorded "Rhythm Review" with the Glenrays at Gaity Records in 1959.  His father was a recording artist in Sweden.

Gene Phillips - WDGY (1965)
Brian Phoenix - KDWB (1976)
Brad Piras - WWTC
Dan Pothier - KUXL, KQRS (1972)

Jim Ramsburg - WLOL (May-July 1956), WDGY (July 1956-June 1957), KSTP-AM (1970-72)  1956:  "Commodore."
Hosted "Night Beat" program on WDGY in 1957.  Left WDGY to go into the National Guard on June 15, 1957.  Ramsburg has published a book Network Radio Ratings, 1932-1953:  A History of Prime Time Programs Through the Ratings of Neilsen, Crossley and Hooper.

Ted Randal - KDWB
Hal Raymond - WDGY (1962-64).  Died of ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) August 8, 2005

Dave Reau - KEYD (1954)

Jimmy Reed – KDWB (1966-67), KRSI (1969), WDGY (September 23, 1969-73)   

Probably from a St. Louis Park High School Echo:  Jimmy Rud was from St. Louis Park and went to Brookside School. He got his inspiration to pursue broadcasting when Bud Kraehling came for career day. He got the idea for his double entendres from Laugh-In; it was so successful he was hired from KRSI to WDGY. From a 1970 ad:  "Jimmy Reed moves Hit Sound '70.  Putting it all together every night from 7 to midnight.  Come into Reed's world.  Much More Music is Jimmy's specialty."  Jimmy open his first show at WDGY by stating he was "..out on pass from the suburban rest-home."

Jack Reynolds (nee Reyelts) - KRSI
Ron "Killer" Richards - WYOO
"Loveable" Lou Riegert - KDWB (started 9/10/1960-65) (became CNN anchor Lou Waters)
Don Riley - KEYD (1949), KSTP (1954)
Ed Ripley - WDGY (1964-65)
Jeff "Mother" Robbins - (Scott Wright) - WYOO (1974-76)
Chris Roberts - KDWB (1971)  Worked for KDWB three times; other names were Lord Douglas and Harley Worthit

“Ugly” Del Roberts (Darrell E. Mulroy) - KDWB (1965-news), WWTC (9/1979-1989), KLBB (1989), KDWB (1990), KJJO (1993), WWTC (2003) (d. March 16, 2003)  Also see Chris Roberts aka Harley Worthit, Lord Douglas – KDWB (1971)  Click here for an interview from RadioTapes.com

Ron the Rajah of R&B (Ron Samuels) - KUXL (1965)
Dan Ronald - KDWB (1959)
Terry Rose - WDGY (1963)
Nancy Rosen - KQRS, WWTC
Jackson Ross – KDWB (1967-68)
Bill Rudd (Oliver Rudrud) - WDGY (1954-55)
Red Rush - WLOL (1959)
Mike “Records” Ryan - WWTC
Jerry St. James - WYOO (1975-76)
Perry St. John – WDGY (1963-67) (d. Feb. 27, 1999)
Bob Salmon - KDWB (1962-63)
Ron Samuels (Ron the Raja of Rhythm & Blues) - KUXL (1965)
Harry Scarbourough - WDGY (1967), KQRS (1967) - died January 2012
Bob Schuman - WYOO (1972)
Bob Scott (Bob Wittnebel) - KDWA (1965), KUXL (1966)
John Sebastian - KDWB (1974)
Mike Segal - KDWB
Barry Siewert - KDWB as Barry McKinna, KQQL
Bob Shannon - KDWB (1964-65, 1974)
Steve Shannon - KSTP-AM (1975)
Dean Sherman (Gordon Kapitan) - WDGY (1955)

Rob Sherwood (Buff Setterquist) - WDGY (1968), KDWB (1969-April 6, 1974), WYOO (1974-76), KSTP-AM (1976-77)

Sam Sherwood (Sabean) – WCOW (1953-56), WISK (1956-59), KDWB (1959-69)

Verne Sheppard - KEVE (1956)

Sandy Singer - WTCN (1956-1957), WDGY (8/1/1957-), WLOL (1958-68).  At WTCN Singer introduced records with piano chords; if the record didn't play at the right speed there was... dischord.

Irv Smith - WDGY (1954-55)
Jere Smith - WMIN (1958).  Also host of "Record Hop" on Channel 9, @1957-59
Ralf Smith - WMIN (1958)
Art Snow - WYOO (1974)
Paul Sohmson - WDGY (1961)
Daddy Soul (Jack Harris) - KUXL
U.S. (Ugly Steve) Steele (Steve Gibbons) - WYOO (1976) 
Gary Stephens - KDWB
Gregg Stevens - WYOO (1974)
Scott Stevens – KDWB, WWTC
Jim Stokes - KRSI
Alan Stone - KQRS (1972-78)
David Stone - KSTP (1954).  Stone hosted the Sunset Valley Barn Dance

David Stone courtesy Pavek Museum of Broadcasting

Texas Bill Strength - KEYD (1956), KEVE (1956), KTCR (1962)  Died in October 1973
Capp Sutherland - WCOW (1954)
Johnny T. Talley - KEYD (1956), KEVE (1956)
Gene Taylor - WCOW (1954)
Jerry Telser - WLOL (1959)
Terry Tersari - KRSI (1967)

Jack Thayer - WLOL (1942-52), WTCN (1952-55), WDGY (1/1956-57).   In 1951 Jack was featured in Billboard Magazine as one of the DJs that made the song "Louie Drop the Gun" (the original version by Art Kassel and Gloria Hart) such a big hit...   At WLOL he started the show "Top Tunes of the Week," pioneering the Top 10/40 format.  Jack was also the host of Jack's Corner Drug Store on WTCN-TV (see Rock 'n' Roll TV shows above) from 1953-55.  He also had another TV show from February 1954 to June 1955, known as either "The Jack Thayer Show" or "Top Ten Records," according to his obituary.  In 1954 he launched a series of Teen-Time Dances on Wednesday nights at the Prom Ballroom.  In 1956 he was lured away from his two TV shows and radio show on WTCN to go with WDGY.  In July 1957 he became General Manager of WDGY.  In 1974 he would become president of NBC Radio.  Thayer died on January 1, 1995 at the age of 72.

Dave Thomson - KDWB (1976-77)
Rod Trongard - KSTP (1975)
Earl L. Trout III - KDWB (1967-68)

Jimmy Valentine - WDGY (1938), KSTP (1941-54).  Jimmy was also a pioneer on KSTP TV.


Jimmy Valentine courtesy Pavek Museum of Broadcasting

“Cheerful Charlie” Van Dyke – WDGY (1970-73)
Howard Viken - KEYD (1949)
Jay Walker - KDWB (1974)
Fat Daddy Washington (Art Hoehn) - KUXL (1964-66), XERB (1966), MPR.  Died in 2011.

Art Way - KDWB (1961-63).  Image from 1962 KDWB Fabulous Forty Survey, November 1962.  Don Betzold Collection, courtesy Pavek Museum of Broadcasting







Bobby Wayne – KDWB (1966) - died 1993.  Image from Don Betzhold Collection, courtesy Pavek Museum of Broadcasting.







Bob White (nee Montgomery) - KRSI
Sev Widman - WDGY (1948), KSTP, WTCN (1954-55)
Jim Wise - KSTP (1970)
Henry Wolf - KSTP (1970)
Tom Wynn – WLOL (1957-58), WDGY (1958-61), KRSI (1962-63), WLOL (1967 and 72-76)
George Young (John Dotas) - WDGY (1967-72) 

Radio name was in homage to WDGY station founder, optometrist Dr. George Young.  From a 1970 ad:  "The man with a smile!  That's George Young.  Keeping the afternoon pace light and lively everyday from noon to 3.  Call George's Phon-A-Song Line, 827-9955, to hear and win your favorite song.  George keeps women Young!"

Jimmy Young - KSTP (1954)
John Young - WISK (1959)
Harry Zimmerman - KEYD (1948-49), WTCN (-2/1956), KSTP (2/1956-59)  Zimmerman was also the host of "Hi-Five Time" on KSTP-TV from 1958-59.

Joe Zingale - "Mr. Rhythm" - WCOW (1955-59), WISK (1959), KDWB (1959).  Joseph T. Zingale came from Cleveland and did a rhythm and blues show on WCOW that was very very popular.  He went to New York as an account executive and with two others he bought a White Plains radio station.  He made a ton of money, eventually owning part of the Cleveland Nets World Tennis Team, Cleveland Indians, and Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team. 

LOCAL ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO STATIONS

These summaries focus on the 1950s through the 1970s, and may include non rock 'n' roll stations that may have dabbled in it at one time or another.  Many thanks to Jeff Lonto, who is the Cities' expert on radio history, for information cited here.

Also see these sites:

http://radiotapes.com/  (Tom Gavaras)

http://www.twincitiesradioairchecks.com/  (Rick Burnett)
https://www.reelradio.com/   (Paid subscription only)
http://www.440int.com/440sat.html  (Disk Jockey database)

WCOW/WISK/KDWB

WCOW

The precursor to KDWB was founded in 1951 by the three Tedesco brothers.  The station was located at 8th and Wabasha in South St. Paul, conveniently adjacent to the stockyards. Brother Al Tedesco wanted to call it WPIG or WHOG, but the others protested the barnyard connotation.  Nick came up with WCOW, which was deemed somehow "more dignified." It was also appropriate, since they played hillbilly music, interspersed with a little Guy Lombardo.

Sam Sabean (aka Sam Sherwood) had a program on WCOW.  He tells about "Mr. Rhythm" (aka Joe Zengale) who came on the air in about March 1955 and started playing rhythm 'n' blues.  The crowd went wild!  We hope to hear more about this soon.  In the meantime, here is a newspaper ad from Sam of the WCOW jocks from 1954.

                    

WISK
 

The station was renamed WISK in May 1956, and affiliated with the Mutual network, late of WDGY.  The format changed from full-time Country & Western to a combination of Lombardo/Welk/etc. and an occasional Top 10 tune.  This left KEYD (soon to become KEVE) as the only full time C&W station.  In April 1957 the station was owned by BVM Broadcasting Co.  Victor Tedesco was General Manager, Sam Sabean Station Manager, Jim Foster Program Director.  The studio and transmitter were located at 158 N. White Bear Ave., St. Paul.  It had 5,000 watts, daytime only.

On October 10, 1958, the station was moved from 1590 to 630 kc (“Channel 63”). Mutual was dropped and the station adopted a "for women only" format, which wasn't quite successful.  In June 1959 the Tedescos sold the station to Crowell-Collier, owner of the legendary KFWB in Los Angeles. [In 1961, when the KFWB was having labor trouble, the owner shipped some Minnesota DJ’s to LA to cover.] Chuck Blore was Crowell-Collier’s national program director, and ran a disc jockey school that the DJs at KDWB attended.

KDWB

KDWB, “the Good Guys,” went on the air on October 1, 1959 as a top 40 station. (The name change was reflected in the radio listings in the newspaper on September 19.)  Someone remembers that before starting up as a rock 'n' roll station, they aired "Charlie Brown" by the Coasters in French, non-stop for many hours. As part of their promotion, they sold ads to rival WDGY (which had gone Top 40 back in 1956) and other stations for a product called "Formula 63."  Free samples at Snyder Drug Stores revealed what the "product" really was.  What you got was a small tube about the size of a cigarette. When you unrolled it it had an announcement for KDWB, 630 on the AM dial. See a good piece on the KDWB/WDGY rivalry from KARE-11 News. Don French was the first Program Director. John McCrae was the first General Manager, and original DJ Sam Sherwood held that position throughout the '60s. The FCC required that the station identify itself as “KDWB – Lake Elmo, also occasionally serving Minneapolis and St. Paul.”

Congress amended the FCC Act in September 1960 to provide penalties short of license revocation for violations of FCC rules. The first station in the country to receive disciplinary action was KDWB. The Twin Cities rock’n’roll station was fined in March 1961 for exceeding its authorized power in nighttime operations. Although authorized for only 500 watts from midnight to 4am, it had been broadcasting at full 5,000 watt strength since it went on the air in 1959.

                              

The station's catch phrase was "KDWB-63 - That's easy to remember."  It had lots of crazy promotions, like the time Charlee Brown styled himself as the Emperor and threatened to take over the State of Wisconsin. In 1966, DJ Jimmy Reed spent 21 days atop a "flagpole" downtown (see 1966 above).  A contest yielded the world's biggest Christmas Cookie, which was delivered in the back of a pickup truck and featured on the Tonight Show. The station was innovative in its promotions, had legendary DJs, features like Solid Gold Weekends, and at least two airings of "The History of Rock 'n' Roll," an all-encompassing "rockumentary."

In the July 2, 1967 edition of the TMC Insider, we learn that "KDWB went off the air last Friday when a 50-foot tower was blown down and fell on top of the station's studios.  As the tower hit, a light fixture fell and narrowly missed Bob Morgan, who was on the air talking about the weather." 

On August 13, 1968, KDWB started programming "underground music" from midnight to 5 am.

On November 30, 1969, fire spread through the KDWB studio, shutting it down for two days. See Rob Sherwood's blog for the whole story. 

Scads of airchecks and music surveys are posted at www.radiotapes.com/KDWB.htm and http://twincitiesradioairchecks.com/kdwb630tapes.html 

Also see http://www.users.uswest.net/~oldiesloon/kdwbjox.htm

KQRS/KEYD/KEVE

KEYD

KQRS-AM (1440) first signed on as KEYD, billed as Family Broadcasting, 1948.  Announcers included Howard Viken, Don Riley, Harry Zimmerman, Slim Jim Iverson, and Slim Jim's brother the Vagabond Kid.  The Record Rodeo show featured western, folk, and other typical American music on Saturday afternoon. A huge booklet issued in 1949 provides pictures of everyone involved in the station and all the reasons why America is better than any other country. 

In January 1956 Will Jones of the Trib talks about "KEYD radio's new staff of imported hillbillies," Texas Bill Strength and Johnny T. from Tennessee.  The song list included such gems as "You Clobbered Me," "Ink Dries Quicker Than Tears," "Lie Detector," and Take Your Cotton-Pickin' Hands Off My Girl."  The station had been playing some Top-10, Classical, semi-classical, some religious, etc.  The owners brought in Robert Purcell to inject life in the station, and a friend who booked Country & Western touring shows told him that the area was one of the top in the country.  This is borne out by the number of Grand Ole Opry touring shows that came through in those days. 

KEVE

In 1956 the station was playing full time Country and Western, was sold, and its call letters were changed to KEVE.  The format changed to classical music in 1961.

KQRS

On December 1, 1964, the call letters were changed to KQRS "Quality Radio Station." 

Within a couple of years, KQRS-AM switched to a mix of jazz, Broadway tunes, public affairs, and talk shows, including one by the controversial host Joe Pine.  Pine was known for making people mad, and Dick Driscoll tells of coming on the air after Pine and having people call to yell at him for things Pine said.

 

KQRS 92.5 FM started out as KEVE-AM on September 1, 1963.  For awhile they called the AM station KEVE and the FM station KADM - "Adam and Eve in the Valley."  The two stations were simulcasting classical music when they both went to KQRS.  In 1967 KQ-FM made its first foray into album rock with its “Night Watch” program, broadcasting R&B, jazz, and psychedelic sounds from midnight to 5 am. John Tollefson was at the controls in 1968, followed by Alan Stone.  By 1970, the entire station went over to free-form/progressive rock.  Says in the Insider that it went from "free-form" to "album rock" in June 1977.  In the fall of 1985 it adopted the Classic Rock format.  Airchecks and other cool things are available at www.radiotapes.com/KQRS.html and http://twincitiesradioairchecks.com/kqrsphotostapes.html

KRSI

KRSI Radio (950) was located at 4500 Excelsior Blvd. in St. Louis Park from May 16, 1958 (at 7am) to October 1972. The station was five years in construction, delayed when its two towers in Eden Prairie fell. It was owned by Radio Suburbia, which was a subsidiary of Red Owl Stores, Inc., thus the call letters.  Here's a story from Jim Stokes:  "KRSI originated Red Owl Stores 'storecast' from their transmitter on what is called 'subcarrier.' You can look it up. It’s complex. So they had to have an engineer on duty at the KRSI transmitter to change the store announcements that interrupted the music. The music ran a slow speed on gigantic tape reels. The music was my kind of music, actually—other than classical music. It was Percy Faith type music. So if you went into a Red Owl store to shop, there would be a voice saying something like, 'Want to perk up family meals. Try some Red Owl green beans.' {blah blah)"

From the start the station played "Memory Music" - "the kind of music everyone likes to hear," according to an article in the St. Louis Park High Echo from June 5, 1958:  "No long commercials, soap operas, kiddie shows, rock 'n' roll, 'top 40,' or 'over-enthusiastic' disk jockeys...  This is the radio station that puts the 'mellow' back into music."  The owner and president was William E. Schons, and the program director was Marvin Schulz.  They conducted a "Music Poll" via a coupon in the papers where people could indicate their music preferences and help the station select what it would play on the air.  "Keep your spirits high with KRSI, 950 on your radio dial, finest in hi-fi."

Sometime in the '60s, Roy H. Park bought the station from Red Owl.  The request line was started in February 1968, with oldies – and not just the same old ones - being their mainstay. Every sixth song was current. This station was pretty freewheeling and one could hear Jimmy Dean in the same breath as the Supremes. In the first year they logged over a million calls to the Request Line:  920-9999.  Most of them were from me.  An ad in the June 14, 1969 TV Digest pictures Tac Hammer, Rick Easton, Anthony Gee, Jim Reed, and Don Shore. They look really young.  Also in 1969 they issued a two-record compilation of oldies called the "KRSI Request Album."   The photo below is from the album. (Thanks to David Hersk!)




In 1971 the station moved away from the oldies and more toward the current music. In March 1973 the station became the first affiliate of Drake-Chenault’s automated “Great American Country” format and the studio moved out to Eden Prairie.

Jeff Lonto:  "AM station (950) was KRSI from the time they went on the air until January 1986. In their last year on the air they brought back Request Radio after a long secession of format changes.  The ratings started to go up and so ownership and management had the bright idea of pulling the plug on the whole thing, changing the calls to KJJO-AM, and simulcasting FM sister station KJJO-FM (104.1). KRSI personalities in their second Request Radio stint from 1985-86 included Don Thompson, Jerry Anderson, Mike Records Ryan, Ray Walby and Bill Hutchinson."  The AM station was never called KFMX.

"FM station (104.1) was KRSI-FM from 1962 or so until 1974. It was KFMX from 1974 to 1980, KRSI-FM again from 1980-1981 and then KJJO-FM from 1981 until the mid-90s.  After that they've changed calls as often as formats and that's pretty frequent."  During the KFMX days, one of the frequent sponsors was the Leaning Post.

For airchecks and photos, a great site is http://twincitiesradioairchecks.com/krsiandkfmx.html

LOL wins Mustang, 1966

 

KSTP-AM
 

It's unclear when KSTP (1500) started playing rock 'n' roll.  The only thing on an April 1955 schedule that looks possible is "KSTP Clubtime" with Rog Kent.  Kent also has a show that November, but the station was also still playing "Fibber McGee and Molly" and "The Lone Ranger." 

In January 1957 Will Jones of the Trib said that the station claimed that classical music has doubled its nighttime ratings in a matter of a few weeks.

In August 1957 the station claimed to be "first with Twin Cities Housewives" based on a telephone poll of 388 people. 

In September/October 1957 it announced "new programming," with "more music, more news, more often."  By October it was a big-time rock 'n' roll station, at least until that December, with DJs Rog Kent, Don Hawkins and Harry Zimmerman.  The station's music survey was Top 15 Teen Tunes, and included 5 Top "Comers" selected by a High School Panel of Experts.  Those songs were not rock 'n' roll.

There was apparently a change of heart; ads from the mid '50s asked:

• "tired of one-note guitar players and hiccup singers?"

• "like to crawl in a hole when you hear rock and roll?"

• "you don't have to listen to rock and roll!  Just tune to 1500 on your dial!

Jeff Lonto says that they became a "middle-of-the-road" music station for years, also carrying NBC news and NBC's "Monitor" on weekends.

One highlight of the station's programming from about 1958 to 1973 was Leigh Kamman, whose jazz programs emanated from Freddy's night club in Minneapolis and featured performances by Count Basie, Ramsey Lewis, Errol Garner, and Ella Fitzgerald.

In about 1970 there was a shake-up of personnel.

In the summer of 1973 they entered the top-40 competition "with rapid-fire disc jockeys playing records in uninterrupted clusters.  The jocks shouted, snarled and chanted the KSTP slogan that was spilling from billboards and buses all over town," according to a 1977 Strib article.  Jack Nugent said they went from 13th in the market to 2nd in 100 days.  The competition clobbered WDGY, which succumbed in 1977.  In 1975 Chuck Knapp and Charlie Bush in the morning, Machine Gun Kelly and others livened things up. The slogan was "15 KSTP--THE MUSIC STATION." John Hines replaced Knapp a few years later, and Rob Sherwood arrived in 1976, after U100 was sold. He stayed until February 1978.

In November 1977 the Insider reported that the station was "working around to the album rock format from Top 40."  Around the fall of 1979 it went to "adult contemporary,: and they also picked up Bob Allard's and Larry King's talk shows in the late evening. Soon they added Monday Night Sports Talk with Reusse and Soucheray but continued to play music until news and talk completely took over in August 1981. The switch to talk was gradual over two years.  See http://www.radiotapes.com/kstp.html and  http://twincitiesradioairchecks.com/kstpam70s.html

KUXL

KUXL went on the air in 1961 at 1570 AM as a 1,000 watt, daytime-only station. The station was located at 4820 Olson Memorial Highway in Golden Valley. It had religious programming in the morning and jazz in the afternoon, including the B'nail Shalom Jewish Radio Hour.  There were also German and Polish hours.  On December 16, 1964, afternoons changed from jazz to Rhythm and Blues    KUXL sponsored dances at the Marigold Ballroom, and brought in national acts such as Ike and Tina Turner, the Four Tops, BB King, Solomon Burke, Chuck Jackson, the Temptations, Jimmy Reed, Jr. Walker, the Impressions, Marv Johnson, Al Green, Syl Johnson, Wilson Pickett, James Brown, and Fats Domino.  In 1965, one of the programs was Rhythm 'n' Blues Time, presented live from the Cassius Bar and Cafe, 318 So. 3rd Street in Minneapolis and hosted by Prime Minister Billy G.

In the mid-1960s, the station was owned by Marvin Kosofsky of Los Angeles, and Bob Smith, aka Wolfman Jack.  Smith had created the Wolfman in 1958 at the 250,000 watt "border blaster" station XERF in Mexico, just over the border from Del Rio, Texas.  The antics of the Wolfman were documented in the 1974 film "American Graffiti," and were punctuated with ads for baby chicks (100 for $4), glow-in-the-dark statues of Jesus, and oldies albums from Uncle George's Record Shop, owned by George Garrett here in Minneapolis.  In 1965 he became part owner of KUXL with Kosofsky, and also general manager.  He never appeared on the air here locally, but continued to make Wolfman tapes in the Golden Valley studio and ship them to Mexico.  In 1966 he sold out to Kosofsky and went back to Mexico, this time to XERB, a 50,000 watt station in Tijuana.  In 1974 he was into many projects, including a weekly syndicated show that was broadcast here on KDWB. 

Also at KUXL at this time were Art Hoehn (a.k.a. Fat Daddy Washington) and former KDWB personality Ralph Hull (a.k.a. Preacher Paul Anthony and The Nazz). Hoehn and Hull went with Wolfman to XERB 1090. They operated the "Big X" from Minneapolis initially, then relocated to Southern California in 1966. 

KUXL went to all religious programming in the 1970s and many of the DJs moved to KMOJ.  The call letters of KUXL changed to KYCR in 1988.  See the story in Twin Cities Funk & Soul Newspaper, page 27.

WCOW

See KDWB above.

 

WDGY

An invaluable source of information about the history of WDGY comes from a Masters Thesis written by Jerry Verne Haines in 1970, which is available to read on www.radiotapes.com/WDGY.html

DR. GEORGE YOUNG

Optometrist George W. Young started radio station KMFT in 1923; his first broadcast was on January 13, 1924 from his house at 2219 N. Bryant.  After a couple of changes the call letters became WDGY (Dr. George Young) in 1926.  In August 1927, WDGY’s transmitter was moved to Superior Blvd. and Falvey Cross Road [Wayzata Blvd. and Louisiana] in St. Louis Park. This was on the grounds of the U.S. Silver Fox Farm, at the very northern border of the Village. The transmitter was destroyed by fire on February 23, 1933 and the station operated with WCCO's old transmitter.  In late 1935 a new non-directional 226 Truscan Steel Vertical Radiator (tower) was erected at the site.

Dr. Young died in 1945 and the station was transferred to the Twin City Broadcasting Corporation 1946.  The station had a conglomeration of programs, ranging from waltzes, classical, show tunes, Tin Pan Alley, Hawaiian, religious, cowboy, and novelty.  In 1948 the "Sepia Serenade" show featured black recording stars, Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:15 to 6:45 pm. 

In 1949, the station moved its transmitter and studio to a new multi-tower array described as at 102nd and Bloomington Freeway/Lyndale Freeway/35W.  An envelope dated October 1, 1956, is addressed to 10350 Fremont Ave. So., Minneapolis, 5, MN.  See the new transmitter here courtesy www.radiotapes.com  Photo below courtesy Steven Moravec.

TWIN CITIES BROADCASTING CO.

In 1952, the station was sold to a group of four local businessmen, one of which was Clarence T. Hagman.  Hagman had previously worked for WLOL, whose owner, Ralph Atlass, had adopted the "Top Forty" format during Hagman's time there from 1947 to 1952.  When Hagman moved to WDGY, he brought the Top Forty concept with him, as well as the Mutual Broadcasting System, which aired programs like "Queen for a Day" and "Sergeant Preston of the Yukon."  A schedule from April 1955 shows Eddie Cantor and a lot of "Springtime Serenade," but also shows just identified by the DJ (Bill Rudd and Irv Smith put in a lot of time.).  That November Ty Mack put in some hours, and it was now "Autumn Serenade."  Kash Box was apparently an advertising gimmick.

TODD STORZ

Todd Storz (Mid-Continent) purchased WDGY on February 6, 1956 for $212,000. It was Storz's fourth station.  Although many give Storz the credit for inventing the "Top 40" format, Haines asserts that it was already in place.  What Storz did was apply the Top Forty concept to rock 'n' roll.  Storz also ended the affiliation with the Mutual network.  (Storz died in 1964 at age 39.)  Steve Labunski was made General Manager.  He left in June 1957 to become Vice President of ABC in New York and was replaced by Jack Thayer.

For his Master's Thesis on the history of WDGY, Jerry Verne Haines interviewed WDGY announcer Leonard D. Bart on June 15, 1970.  Haines wrote:

Rock and roll had a difficult entry into the Twin Cities market.  The other stations had an unwritten agreement not to play "race music" because they assumed the Twin Cities audience would be outraged.  When WDGY began to play it, WDGY salesmen found an amazing reluctance on the part of advertisers to buy time on a station that was rated number two in the market.  The feeling seemed to be "we are not going to advertise on that station."

Jim Ramsburg, an early WDGY jock, said that the concept of only playing 40 records was "blasphemy" in the business.  He had to play the #1 song every hour, and the others at will.  He's still sick of "The Wayward Wind."  40 was picked because it was the number of records that could be played in three hours.  He also says "we were given strict orders never to utter the phrase, "Rock & Roll," because it was black slang for sex.  For that matter, we were discouraged from using the term "teenager" too.  By that time Elvis had hit it big with "Heartbreak Hotel" and "Hound Dog" - a cover of a black record - followed.  Covering black music was standard operating procedure in those days - Pat Boone made a fortune covering Fats Domino records.  Finally, in the late 50s Sam Cooke broke the color barrier in the Midwest with "You Send Me" and black artists began to appear regularly on Top 40 charts.  In summary, it was a conservative, white bread market with only a handful of stations in those days."

Airchecks from 1955 - '57 on www.radiotapes.com seem to indicate that the music was pretty middle-of-the-road, but they did play "Hound Dog" on September 7, 1956 - "It's #1!"  The station was DJ-driven, with a July 2, 1956 ad touting the "Fabulous 4+1:  Herb Oscar Anderson, Don Loughnane, Jack Thayer, Bill Armstrong, and Bill Bennett.  At the time it was billed as "The New WDGY - Your Radioactive Station!"  Top 40s available from July 21, 1956 on do show that the playlist was definitely rock 'n' roll, although they played a lot of cover versions and a lot of "schmaltz." One song in '57 looks suspiciously local:  "Paddlin' Ingabord Home" by "Ole" The Singing Janitor. 

A memo to the staff from Todd Storz dated May 28, 1956 singles out the gang at WDGY for a job well done.  "Minneapolis has been kind of a combination rat race and three ring circus since the "New WDGY" started, but the tremendous amount of work being done is paying off in increased ratings and business every month.  In the first few months of operation, I would guess that WDGY probably lost as much money per month as any station in the history of radio.  This month the losses should be fairly slight and we have every hope that June will see the station in the black for the first time in a long time.  While a lot of money has gone down the drain, it looks like it has been well spent since the station is gaining solid acclaim in the Twin Cities, and some of the money should start to come back in over a period of the next few years."

One fun item is from a Storz Stations Engineering Newsletter dated November 20, 1956.  "All stations will soon be equipped with an echo chamber for 'ON AIR' use.  A Hammond RK4 reverberation unit has been ordered...  The echo unit will be .. controlled by push buttons installed at the news table and console.  It is imperative that this unit be installed as soon as possible when received."

In April 1957 the studio was in the Builders Exchange Building in downtown Minneapolis, and the transmitter was described as WDGY Transmitter Plant, Oxboro, Minn.  It had 50,000 watts during the day and 25,000 at night. 

As a promotion, in November 1958 Jim Ramsburg cooked up the Radio Wonders basketball team.  Jocks Bill Diehl, Don Kelly, Dan Daniel, Stan Mack, and Ramsburg teamed up with professionals Ed Kalafat, Bobby Cox, Jim Springer, and Corky Devlin, possibly former Minneapolis Lakers.  The team could not play high school and college teams, but would go out to small towns for exhibition games.  Some not so happily as others, he admits.  Proceeds would go to a charity mutually agreed upon by the two teams.   
 

“Wonderful WeeGee,” home of the "boss jocks" like Johnny Canton, hit its stride in the ‘60s, competing neck and neck with KDWB. WeeGee tended to be a little more conservative than KDWB – reportedly even their staff wore suits and ties, but that has been disputed.  See Top 30 and Top 40 countdowns from 1966 on Robb Henry's blog.  From an ad from May 1970:  "WDGY...A Touch of Taste" 

In February 1977 the Insider reported that the station was changing its format from Top 40 to Album Rock.  At 3 pm, September 3, 1977, the station changed its format to country, announcing the end of an era. In 1991 the owners, Malrite Communications Group, abandoned the WDGY call letters and changed 1130 to KFAN.  The WDGY call letters were snapped up by the owners of 630 AM, the former KDWB.  Quite an irony. 

See www.radiotapes.com/WDGY.html for airchecks and much more, including the very entertaining history of the station written by Haines. 

More great stuff is on http://twincitiesradioairchecks.com/wdgy1130tapes.html  and http://www.users.uswest.net/~oldiesloon/wdgyjox.htm

http://mp3skull.com/mp3/wdgy.html

WLOL

WLOL (1330 AM) first went on the air on June 6, 1940.  Its first owners were John Devaney (Minnesota Supreme Court Justice?) and briefly Fred Osanna.  Apparently it had a wide variety of programs, including the "Uncle Elmer Show."  From 1946-1950 Leigh Kamman and Bob Smith hosted the "We Call it Jazz" Program, featuring live performances from the Treasure Inn, Calhoun Beach Hotel, and Radisson Hotel downtown.  Kamman also hosted the "Swing Club" Program. (Kamman left for New York in 1950.)   In 1951 Ray Christenson was voted the "most popular classical and semi-classical disc jockey in the State of Minnesota."  At the time, Ray was also teaching diction to the students of Helen Stefan Model and Finishing School
 

A playlist from August 1956 shows that it was a major early rock 'n' roll station. The jocks were Bob Bradley, Leigh Kamman, Don Kelly, Steve Cannon, and Jerry Cunning.   http://www.radiotapes.com/wlol.html  has airchecks from 1957 of Steve Cannon and Leigh Kamman doing what was billed as the Twin Cities first and only Double Disc Jockey Show.  The airchecks reflect a more middle-of-the-road format, but the Top 40 playlists from 1956-59 have a lot of rock 'n' roll (with a polka thrown in for good measure).  Jim Ramsburg says that in 1956 "we pulled our own music from the big record library with no rules or restrictions.  Our studios were at the transmitter on Davern Street in St. Paul and engineers played both records and commercials." 

In April 1957 the station was owned by the BFR Broadcasting Corp., N.L. "Larry" Bentson, President.  Wayne "Red" Williams was Station Manager and Ray Christensen was Program Director.  The studio and transmitter were at Seventh and Davern Streets in St. Paul.  It had 5,000 watts.

In July 1957 Kamman was doing the noon to 2pm show from Southdale, just off the Garden Court.  In November 1957 Jerry Cunning did Night Watch, "Twin Cities' first all-night record party - Top 40 and then some" from 11 pm to 6 am.  WLOL's Swing Club had Dan Anderson on Saturdays from noon to 6 pm., also "Top 40 and then some." 

The WLOL Big 5 disc jockeys hosted the Royal Crown Cola Teen Roller Party at the Pastime Arena in St. Louis Park, Sundays from 2-5 pm, according to October and November 1957 music surveys.  In March 1958 WLOL hosted the Royal Crown Cola Bandstand at the Marigold Ballroom, with DJs Dan Anderson and Don Dahl, Sunday afternoons from 2 to 5pm.  Admission was 50 cents and open to teens age 16 and over.  "It's the swinginest!"  In March 1958, WLOL's catchphrases were "The Best Sound for Miles and Miles Around" and "Bigger, Better, Brighter than Ever."  That spring the station presented Saints baseball with Ray Christensen.  A September 21, 1958 playlist shows jocks Bob Bradley, Tom Wynn, Jim Boysen, Dan Anderson, and Sandy Singer. 

WLOL-AM ("We Love Our Listeners") was out of the rock 'n' roll market by the mid '60s.  From 1973-76 it was strictly Country.

WLOL-FM

WLOL-FM (99.5) ("Means Fine Music") was up and running in 1956, although with changing hours.  The music surveys we have indicate that the station was on from 5 PM to midnight from August to November 1957, noon to midnight from November 1957 to September 1958, and 6 am to midnight in September 1958.  Will Jones of the Trib noted on January 11, 1957, that the station suddenly decided to go to symphonic, opera and chamber music.  "This is getting to be kind of a bandwagon, and a worthwhile one, even if it does come as a result of the desperate try-anything state of things in today's radio business.  When such a strictly-top-40 station as WLOL decides to go in for the classics, it smacks of chaos rather than culture.  They promise 'infreuent and low-tone commercial announcements.'"  Music consultants included folks from the Minneapolis Symphony orchestra, Schmitt Music, and Leigh Kamman.

In a June 4, 1959, article in the St. Louis Park High School Echo, it was reported that the station would feature dance band music on Fridays and Saturdays.  "We're promoting a better brand of music because we believe that most teenagers are getting tired of rock 'n' roll," a spokesman said.  Eight Miracle Mile merchants sponsored the program.  "The music ranges from the swingtime of the late thirties to the jazz of today.  It features the bands of Les Brown, Glenn Miller, Woody Herman, Sammy Kaye, Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Ray Anthony and Xavier Cugat.  Although FM radio is not on many car radio dials, it is found on other radios and most of the new hi-fi and stereo sets.  The WLOL staff believes that FM radio provides better reception and clearer tones than the AM frequencies."  

A history of the station prepared much later explained that "In 1956 the owners of WLOL AM added one of the first FM stations.  The call letters were also WLOL.  In November of 1957 WLOL brought stereophonic radio to the Twin Cities.  WLOL FM and KUOM AM cooperated to create the stereophonic sound.  A listener needed an AM radio tuned to WLOL and a "standard' radio tuned to KUOM for full stereophonic effect.  The radios had to be placed at one end of a room 6-8 feet apart and the listener had to stand about 10-15 feet away.  They used KUOM AM instead of WLOL AM because they did not want to scare away their AM Top 40 listeners by playing even only one hour of the FM's classical music."

WMIN/WMNS

The station began as WMIN in the summer of 1936, when St. Paul furniture retailer Edward Hoffman began broadcasting at 1370 kHz. WMIN was reassigned to the 1400 kHz in 1941.  Around that time, a young Leigh Kamman and his friend Sev Widman hosted "Studio Party Wham," named after a Jimmie Lunceford tune, showcasing big bands, small combos, and jazz.  Kamman produced live broadcasts from Mitch's Roadhouse in Mendota and hung out at the Club Casino in the Hotel St. Paul where the big bands played.  After the war, Kamman produced "We Call it Jazz" concerts at the Calhoun Beach Hotel and hosted "The Swing Club" on WLOL.  Kamman left for New York in 1950.

WMIN ("Music City 1400") played rock 'n' roll in the 1950s, although we don't know how early.  In a column dated January 24, 1954, Will Jones called DJ Steve Cannon a "Hep Talking radio disc jockey."  In 1954, the call sign for 1400 AM briefly changed to WMNS, reflecting a change to a full service format of music, news and sports.  A schedule from April 1955 doesn't look promising, as most of the day is described as "Tin Pan Allen."  There is a show in the morning called "Ralph and His Records" that might be something upbeat.  The call letters were changed back to WMIN later that year (1954). 

In April 1957 the station was owned by the Franklin Broadcasting Co., William F. Johns, Jr., Vice President and General Manager.  Jack Hazlett was Station and Sales Manager, and Ralph R. Smith was Program Director.  Studio and Transmitter were at 611 Frontenac Place, St. Paul.  It had only 250 watts.

We do know that the station was playing rock 'n' roll from the WMIN Top 40 dated August 4, 1958  "Music City 1400."  The number 1 song that week was "When" by the Kalin Twins; Elvis had two songs, Ricky Nelson, Bobby Darin, and Duane Eddy were represented as well.  But also Doris Day, Dean Martin, and Patti Page.  The September 22, 1958 survey advertised "Down Beat," the "Longest radio show in the Twin Cities."  It was also the "Twin Cities' ONLY station with Future-Phonic Sound."  The disk jockeys were Ralf Smith, Jere Smith, Dan Allan, Jack Douglas, and Lou House, the rare black DJ of the day.

It adopted an all news format in mid-July 1962. In November 1962 call letters were changed to KWTN. They were changed back the following August 1963. 

In late 1963 the format went to Country & Western and Old Time music.  Airchecks from 1964 indicate an emphasis on "news and prophesy."   Old Joe Clark played country music.  "Yonny Yonson" played old time (polkas, waltzes and shoddiches) from 9 am to noon and 3-6 pm.  The station's address was 611 Frontenac Place in St. Paul. In 1967 it went to full-time country.

The station changed their call sign again in 1972 to KEEY, to match that of their FM sister station, and installed a soft rock format separate of the FM, which aired Beautiful Music.
 

In 1982 the call letters were changed once again, to KLBB.  See http://twincitiesradioairchecks.com/wmin.html

Stuart A. Lindman with photos of Steve Cannon, Merle "Hub Cap" Edwards, and Bill Diehl, 1949
 

WMIN-FM

The owners of WMIN (1400 AM) launched WMIN-FM on October 1, 1967. It became KEEY-FM ("Key") in 1968, programming Drake-Chenault's automated "Hit Parade '68." Drake's promotional materials indicate it was targeted to the 18-49 age group, for "those people who may not like Top 40 as a steady diet, and those who are not particularly fond of some of the outdated MOR stations".

WRCR

The Twin City a' Go Go January 1966 issue mentioned this station (1010) and its DJs:   Dean Alexander, Dave Charles, Will Grassman, Myrna Jean, Oliver Towne, Don Riley, Bob Leonard, and Charles Conrad.  Jeff Lonto provides this info:  "The station became WJSW "Polka Power" around 1969, and they picked up the WMIN calls in November 1973 after being dropped a year earlier by 1400 AM. I actually have a WRCR pinback button that says 'I'M A TEN-TEN TUNER WRCR 10-10 ST. PAUL, MINN.'"

WTCN/WWTC

Much has been written about this ever-changing station at 1280 AM, including Jeff Lonto's book Fiasco at 1280, The Rise and Hard Fall of a Twin Cities Radio Station, available through the Pavek Museum of Broadcasting. 

The station started as WRHM in 1925, changed to WTCN in1934. In 1945 it became part of the ABC network.

What it was playing in the mid 1950s is a mystery, except that a schedule from April 1955 lists shows with intriguing names like Knights of the Road, 8 Steps Down, Cloud Club, and Night Owls. In November 1955 shows were identified by the names of the DJs in most cases; Jack Thayer was on three different times during the day, sharing time with Al Paulson, Sev Widman, Larry Fischer, and Don Doty.  There is a show called "The Voice" and another called "New Sounds for You."

In 1956 the station was sold to the Crowell-Collier publishing firm.

The station dropped its ABC affiliation on December 31, 1962.  The call letters were changed to WWTC on October 2, 1964 and the programming became "Beautiful Music."  In 1975 it switched to all-news.  After a change of ownership it changed formats to "Golden Rock" on October 1, 1979.  It was on to urban contemporary on November 12, 1984, which lasted until September 1985 when it became an all-weather station.  On June 20, 1986, the call letters were changed to KSNE and the format was again changed to a satellite nostalgia format.  Next came soft jazz, then back to oldies and the WWTC call letters on May 27, 1988. 

There's much more but you'll have to read Jeff's book!
 

Much information and many airchecks are available at www.radiotapes.com/wwtc.html and http://twincitiesradioairchecks.com/wwtc.html

WYOO/U100

980 AM was originally staid WPBC from 1949 to 1972. 

At noon on November 2, 1972, oldies station WYOO signed on for the first time with "See You Later Alligator" by Bill Haley and His Comets. 

On August 26, 1974, the oldies format became "boogie," with KDWB alumnus Rob Sherwood heading up a wild and crazy format as U100.  Sherwood and the rest were at their antic best, cooking up contests and announcing test answers to kids.  Be sure to read the story of this station, written by Jeff Lonto.  Also check out airchecks and more at www.radiotapes.com/WYOO.html and http://twincitiesradioairchecks.com/wyoowrah.html 

U100 signed off on September 15, 1976.  KDWB took over WYOO-FM and WAYL took over WYOO-AM.
 

KDXL

St. Louis Park High School Radio Station

MID-AMERICA MUSIC HALL OF FAME

The Mid-America Music Hall of Fame had its roots in 1999 when Doug Spartz and Gene Jurek put together a reunion of musician friends at the El Paso Club in St. Joseph, Minn., outside of St. Cloud.  Almost 600 people showed up, encouraging them to start an annual event.  The First Minnesota Rock and Country Hall of Fame Induction Show took place on Saturday, May 22, 2004 at the Medina Ballroom.  In 2010 the organization was renamed the Mid-America Music Hall of Fame in order to be inclusive of all kinds of music created by local artists and national artists with Minnesota ties. The 2012 ceremony took place in Mankato on February 24 at the Kato Ballroom.  In addition to the annual induction ceremonies, which feature live reunion performances of the honorees, the Hall of Fame has put out a series of CDs of local music called “Rockin’ Your Socks Off!”

The following is a listing of the performers so honored (there were no ceremonies in 2009 or 2011).  The list comes the programs of the induction ceremonies and does not include all of the lifetime achievement recipients; for that list see http://www.rockcountryhall.com/recipients.htm  (Note:  the web site for the Hall of Fame itself is currently undergoing reconstruction.)  I apologize for any broken links - sometimes web sites come and go.
 

The Accents - 2010
Steve Adams - 2010
Adris Wells Ranch Pals - 2005
Mary Jane Alm - 2007
Amazers - 2008
Casey Anderson - 2008
Liz Anderson - 2008
Lynn Anderson - 2008
Andrews Sisters – 2006
Dave Anthony - 2010
Cleo Bee - 2007
Eddie Berger - 2007
Blackwood Apology - 2007
Blood on the Tracks Studio Band - 2005
Dave Brady and the Stars - 2007
Mojo Buford - 2005 - See also Robb Henry's blog
C.A. Quintet - 2008 -  See also Minniepaulmusic.com
Cain - 2010 - See also
Canoise - 2005
Paulette Carlson - 2007
Chuck Carson - 2005
Castaways – 2005
Baby Doo Caston – 2006
Chancellors - 2008
Charms - 2007
Marcene Church - 2010
City Mouse - 2007
Eddie Cochran - 2006
Anthony Cox - 2010
Crow – 2005   See also
Curtiss A - 2008
Daisy Dillman Band - 2006
Jimmy Wells and the Dakota Roundup - 2005
Damon Lee and the Diablos - 2010
Danny's Reasons - 2007  Also see Minniepaulmusic.com
Deacons - 2010
DeZurik Sisters
Dave Dudley - 2004
Dee Jay and the Runaways - 2004
Del Counts - 2006
Doc Holliday Band - 2008
Double Nickles - 2010
Dr. Mamb's Combo -2008

Paul Durenberger - 2012
Bob Dylan
Jonathan Edwards – 2006
Elektras - 2010
Epicurians - 2005
Jay Epstein - 2010
Art Essery - 2007
Fendermen - 2005
Maury Finney - 2007
Richard "Dick" Fischer - 2010
Flamin' Oh's - 2007
Arne Fogel- 2008
Billy Folger - 2006
Don Robert Formanek - 2008
Free and Easy - 2008
Augie Garcia - 2005
Gestures - 2007
Jokers Wild - 2010
Jordan Gish - 2008
Mike Gleiden and the Rhythm Kings - 2008
Barry Thomas Goldberg - 2008
Jim Greenwell - 2008
Gregory Dee and the Avanties – 2006
Gypsy - 2007
Steve Hall and Shotgun Red - 2006

John Hautla - 2010
Haze - 2010
Amos Heilicher – 2006
Benny Heilman - 2010
High Noon - 2008
High Spirits - 2006
Hill-Dillies - 2005
Doris Hines - 2010
Ken Horst - 2008
Hot Half Dozen – 2006
Houle Brothers - 2006
Barb Huber – 2006
Jimmy Hyde - 2010
Ipso Facto - 2008
Slim Jim Iverson - 2005
Johnny Green and the Greenmen - 2004
Michael Johnson - 2008
Red Johnson - 2005
Phyllis Jones - 2007
Bill Jordan - 2010
The Judd Group - 2008
Kan Dells - 2008
Killer Hayseeds - 2007

Dick Kimmel and Jerilyn Kjellberg - 2012
KSTP Barndance - 2004
Lamont Cranston Band - 2010
Peter Lang - 2008

Sandra Lee and the Velvets - 2012
Jerry Lemire - 2008
Randy Levy - 2010
Sherwin Linton - 2004
Lipps, Inc. - 2007
Litter - 2007
Jim Lopezio - 2007
Mary Macgregor - 2008

Jim McGuire - 2012
Sue McLean - 2010
Magpies - 2007
Dean Magraw - 2010
Carole Martin - 2008
Marvelous Marauders - 2005
Kim Martin - 2007
Dale Menten - 2008
Middle Spunk Creek Boys -2007
Milwaukee Slim (Angelo Chambers) - 2010
Joey Molland - 2007
More-Tishians - 2008  See article on their revival in the StarTribune, November 21, 2012
Dennis Morgan - 2007

Murphy Brothers Band - 2012
Willie Murphy - 2008
Mystics - 2006
Nielson White Band - 2010
Nite Train - 2010
North Sisters - 2005
Northern Light - 2007
Novas - 2007
Alex Parenteau and Silver Wings - 2007
Parrish Brothers – 2006
Passage - 2007
Gary Paulak - 2008
Peterson Family - 2008
Platte Valley Boys - 2007
Poor Boys - 2010
Marvin Rainwater - 2004
Steve Raitt - 2010
Rembrandts - 2010
Renowns - 2005
Rio Nido Band - 2007
Rockie Robbins - 2010
Rockin' Hollywoods - 2007
Sonny Rodgers - 2007
Charlie Ryan - 2005
Betty Rydell – 2006
Marilyn Sellars - 2004
Kenny Schossow - 2008

Shadows - 2005

Shags - 2012
Sensational Sleepers - 2010
Sangoya - 2010

Joe Schultz Band - 2012
Dick Shapiro - 2008
Shaw Allen Shaw - 2006
Showtime I and II - 2008
Gordy Singer - 2010
Sky Blue Water Boys - 2005
Big Walter Smith – 2006
Phil Solem - 2010
Sounds of Blackness - 2010
Stagebrush – 2006
Jan Stark – 2006
Peter Steinberg - 2008
Mick Sterling and the Stud Brothers - 2010
StillRoven - 2010
Bob and Dale Strength - 2008
Texas Bill Strength - 2006
Suicide Commandos – 2006
Joe Sun - 2005
T.C. Jammers - 2010
Titans - 2004
Tommy Lee and the Orbits – 2004
Tornados - 2004
Trashmen - 2004
Unbelievable Uglies - 2004
Underbeats - 2004
Bobby Vee - 2004
Larry Verne - 2006
John Voit - 2004
Frank Wagamon - 2010
Frank Wagamon Sextet - 2010
Mike Waggoner and the Bops - 2008
Willie Walker - 20008
Westbound - 2008
Johnny Western - 2006
Westside - 2010
Whiskey River - 2008

Whitesidewalls - 2012
Irv Williams - 2008
Jo Jo Williams - 2006
Steve Wroe and the Furys
David Z - 2008
Keith Zeller - 2008
 

INDIVIDUAL PAGES

Occasionally if there is a critical mass of information I have created a separate page for a person, place or thing.  Many of them have connections to St. Louis Park.  Here are links to those pages:

Beatles in Minneapolis

Chancellors

Bill Diehl

Drive-Ins

Gangs in the Twin Cities

Augie Garcia

Amos and Ira Heilicher

High Spirits

Peter Himmelman

Dan Israel

Judd Group

Timothy D. Kehr

The Monkees in Minnesota

Professor James Francis Patrick O'Neill

Acts at the Prom Ballroom

Rivkin Brothers

Rolling Stones at Danceland

Barry Siewert (McKinna)

TV's Hullaballoo Teen Scene/Purple Cigar