BEATLES IN DETROIT ’64: The Motor City was one of but a few North American cities selected to host two Beatles concerts on the same day. Photo taken prior Detroit press conference. (Clockwise from right foreground) John, George, Paul and Ringo played before 15,000 at each show at Olympia Stadium, Detroit, Sunday, Sept. 6. (Tony Spina/Detroit Free Press)
S E P T E M B E R 6 , 1 9 6 4 : T O D A Y I N M U S I C H I S T O R Y
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1 9 6 4 :T H E B E A T L E S performed two sold-out concerts at the 15,000-capacity Detroit Olympia on this day. The other acts on the bill were (in order of appearance) The Bill Black Combo, The Exciters, Clarence ‘Frogman’ Henry and Jackie DeShannon, before the Fab Four took the Olympia stage. After the concerts the British band stayed overnight at the Whittier Hotel near downtown Detroit before leaving for their next scheduled stop at the Toronto Maple Leaf Gardens, Monday, September 7. Both Beatles Olympia September 6 appearances sponsored by top 40 radio WKNR, Detroit.
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Pop Music History: September 6, 1964
BEATLES IN DETROIT ’64: The Beatles pose for the Detroit press before taking their questions at Olympia Stadium. Sunday afternoon, September 6, 1964. (Tony Spina/Detroit Free Press)
WKNR (Bob Green) BEATLES IN DETROIT * Beatles Olympia Press Conference * 9/6/64
BEATLES IN DETROIT ’64: Detroit police restrain Beatle fans back when the Beatles exited the stage at the Olympia Stadium after their first of two concerts there on Sept. 6. The crowd tries to reach for a member of the group as they passed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQh6wLMUd1g
BEATLES IN DETROIT ’64: Paul extends a hand of acknowledgement to bandmate John Lennon before the Olympia crowd, Sunday afternoon, September 6.BEATLES IN DETROIT ’64: On stage at Olympia, 1st. show, Sunday afternoon, September 6.BEATLES IN DETROIT ’64: Sole sponsor of both Beatles concerts on September 6 at the Olympia, WKNR microphones definitely were there. Between the shows the Fab Four mingled with the press. Here, WKNR newsman George Hunter interviews Ringo Starr. Shown standing behind Ringo were WKNR deejays Gary Stevens (waving) and Bob Green who emceed both Beatles shows. Robin Seymour looks on (bottom right). (Credit: Beatles press conference audio provided by Bob Green. Above photo property Bob Green; Scott WestermanKeener13.com) BEATLES IN DETROIT ’64: On stage at the Olympia 2nd. show, Sunday evening, September 6. Tony Spina/ Detroit Free Press(click image for largest PC view)
WKNR BEATLES IN DETROIT PROMO * WKNR (Bob Green) Productions * 9/6/1964
“…Tamla-Motown artists are our favorites.” — George Harrison, Detroit; 9/6/64
A Scott Westerman WKNR profile card (click on image for larger detailed view).
By request, more from the jingle jungle. We play the Jam Song and preview the Pams box set. WCBS craters with Jack, Moog passes on and Funkadelic turns 50. Plus rare music from Patty & The Emblems, Boyce and Hart and Lee Rogers.Scott Westerman hosts. (Hear the show 31 minutes 29 MB MP3).
(Podcast “Jam” description above courtesy the Keener13.com archives; August, 2005).
A SPECIAL ‘THANK YOU’ goes out to our friends and host of the official WKNR website, Scott Westerman and Steve Schram, for granting MCRFB.COM honors allowing us to archive every one of those memorable classic keener13.com podcasts Scott produced for the WKNR website from 2004 through 2006. These WKNR/S.W. podcasts were acclaimed by many then as the consummate podcast medium at the time — a new form of entertainment, communication art suited for the internet — a template model how all podcasts should sound like when first launched on the WKNR website, 2004. We agree.
Today, MCRFB will showcase the August, 2005, “JAM” podcast — there are over forty podcasts we have listed the WKNR website produced a decade back. For Detroit radio purists alike, this was podcasting “Keener” gold for the 21st. century!
To relive the WKNR experience 24/7 visit http://keener13.com/ On Facebook? Visit Keener 13 there as well for all the news and updates and more. We salute you both, Scott Westerman, Steve Schram! Well over a decade there — still keeping those fabulous KEENER MEMORIES alive.
M O T O R C I T Y R A D I O F L A S H B A C K S
THE KEENER PODCAST * Jam * KEENER13.COM (August 2005)
EDWIN STARR 1966 SALUTE TO A DETROIT RADIO BROADCAST LEGEND
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BY SUMMER’S END 1966, “SCOTT’S ON SWINGERS” became reality. It became a recorded single ’45 promo having been written by Charles Edwin Hatcher, who expressed into lyrics a song dedicated especially to WKNR radio deejay Scott Regen in Detroit.
Released on Ed Wingate’s Ric-Tic label (Detroit) and numbered RT-109 X, it has been estimated by several Wingate associates since that only 20 to 50 of these recordings were pressed as singles at the time. And were all issued by the label as a single-sided record 45 disk with a blank flip-side.
When this recording was made in 1966, and just six months after his arrival at WKNR in Detroit from WHB Kansas City, Scott Regen was by then a dominant influential source promoting the ’60s music scene — having connected well with the ‘Detroit sound’ with his Detroit radio audience during his nightly shows on Keener 13. Whether it be Barry Gordy’s Motown, Ed Wingate’s Golden World Records, national or otherwise, Scott Regen immersed himself into the music he played on the radio when he was on.
As it was, it was of no consequence within a short span of several months after his arrival here in June, 1965, Scott Regen was established in 1966 as the No. 1 night-time radio deejay overall here in the Motor City. And to those of us who still remember, 1966 was also the year WKNR’s Scottie Regen would be permanently immortalized in words and in song. “Dedicated To Scott Regen,” it was written, produced and was recorded by a young, aspiring 23-year old R&B recording artist, then, who went by the name of Edwin Starr in Detroit.
Charles Edwin Hatcher (Edwin Starr) passed away in 2003. But he left a most significant lasting tribute to a legendary WKNR radio talent remembered in Detroit — still today — nearly five decades after this recording was made. Thank you again, Scottie Regen, for those special Keener moments you shared with all of us on the radio here in Detroit —
“… Yeah, listen to his show every night, ’cause the records he plays they are outta sight. So if you see Scott Regen, if anybody see Scott Regen, stop him ON SIGHT.”
THE SHY GUYS’ 1966 SALUTE TO A DETROIT RADIO BROADCAST LEGEND
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IN DETROIT,BY YEAR’S END 1966, the phrase “Burger” would become synonymous with the name of the Keener deejay who went on to create it while on WKNR, Scott “The Burger” Regen.
Photo: Official WKNR ‘Burger Membership Card’ courtesy/property of Keener13.com
In wake of Regen’s “Burger Club” popularity on his No. 1 show and listener demand for membership to the “Royal Order of Regen Burgers,” a local Detroit high school band, the ‘Shy Guys’ (Oak Park, MI) took to the recording studios later that year to cut this (now extremely) rare 45 vinyl pressing they made in dedication to the “Scott Regen Show on WKNR” (as indicated on the label).
Written, produced and recorded by the four band members, the ‘Shy Guys’ (pictured below) comprised of Ron Nelson (lead vocals; guitar), Marty Lewis (vocals; bass), Stu Howard (vocals; guitar) and Mark Finn (vocals; drums).
The band previously recorded “We Gotta Go,” off the Panik label (No. 5111) and Palmer Records (No. 5008). The Shy Guys “We Gotta Go,” made it’s WKNR debut (No. 28) on May 16, 1966 according tokeener13.com.
The song was voted No. 1 for several nights on the “Top 3-Plus 1” voting nightly on the Scott Regen Show — after one week (May 22) on the WKNR guides. Six weeks on the WKNR Music Guides (May 16 through June 20), “We Gotta Go”peaked No. 15 WKNRon June 6, 1966.
“The Burger Song,” on the Burger Records label, was a special “off-shoot” recording (from the original Panik Records label) numbered 5004. “Scott Burger.” So let’s hear it again. One more time. As was recorded and dedicated exclusively — and only — by the ‘Shy Guys’ for WKNR’s Scottie Regen, 1966.
“The Burger Club is growing fast, you gotta join today. All you need is your radio, to swing the ‘Burger’ way . . . ”
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A MCRFB NOTE
The official WKNR Scott Regen “Burger” membership card above, property/courtesy the official Keener13.com website. For more on Scottie Regen revisit the entire Keener experience only at KEENER13.COM!
THE SHY GUYS (Photo update, Tuesday 2:40 PM; 8/4/15: This photo is owned and is the sole property of Harriet Cohen-Finn)
“THE BURGER SONG (WE GOTTA GO)” * The Shy Guys * BURGER Records (1966)
1 9 6 4 : T H E B E A T L E S performed two sold-out concerts at the 15,000-capacity Detroit Olympia on this day. The other acts on the bill were (in order of appearance) The 
Bill Black Combo, The Exciters, Clarence ‘Frogman’ Henry and Jackie DeShannon, before the Fab Four took the Olympia stage. After the concerts the British band stayed overnight at the Whittier Hotel near downtown Detroit before leaving for their next scheduled stop at the Toronto Maple Leaf Gardens, Monday, September 7. Both Beatles Olympia September 6 appearances sponsored by top 40 radio WKNR, Detroit.
