WCHB, WJLB, DETROITThese records were also many of the most popular radio plays on Detroit’s two R&B stations on the AM dial at the time, WCHB 1440 and WJLB 1400, week-ending December 24, 1965.
From the MCRFB NEWS archive: 1966
Ten Reasons Why 1966 Will Set Bar With New Innovations Within Record-Music Trade Over 1965
The year that was, 1965, is history, but history affects the course of future events. In a year of many notable events in the record-music industry, Billboard has selected 10 whose impact will probably be more fully realized in 1966.
Over-the-counter record sales will hit an all-time high when final 1965 figures are tabulated. As of several weeks ago, Billboard’s Record Market Division estimated that sales were up almost 8 per cent over 1964, and this estimate preceded the big Christmas buying spree. Dealers checked this week generally stated that Christmas business was considerably ahead of last year –all of which buttresses the view that 1965 will be a record breaker in sales.
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The car tape cartridge development, smouldering for the past three years in
Southern California, erupted on a nationwide scale with the introduction of the Lear Jet Stereo-8 system, spearheaded by RCA Victor and the Ford Motor Co. This opens a vast new market for songs, talent and recordings.
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Rack-jobbing, the U. S.-born merchandising concept, burst upon the British market with vigor this year, with the introduction of the Music for Pleasure label by EMI and the International Publishing Corp. This development promises to revolutionize the market there as it has in the U. S.
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Civil Aeronautic Board granted TWA approval to lower disk air freight rates, after hearing Mercury’s Irwin Steinberg’s plead the case. This is a giant step toward pacing record distribution with the jet age by allowing long overnight shipments from centralized warehouse points. It promises to revolutionize disk distribution.
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The merger of NARM and ARMADA reflects the growing tendency toward centralization of wholesaling functions in the record industry. In the last several years, many distributors entered the rack jobbing field; similarly, there is the tendency of giant rack jobbers to seek distributor status. Therefore, one trade organization covering these facets was a natural development. Jules
Malamud, NARM executive director, is planning a schedule of extended services so as to aid both rack jobbers and distributors.
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Country music moved “uptown” reflecting years of work by the Country Music Association. On the heels of the success of WJJD, Chicago, a wave of new top 40-formatted country music stations sprang up across the nation. These included WIRZ, metropolitan New York; WWVA, Wheeling, W. Va; WOAH, Miami, and WEEZ, Chester, Pa. which reaches into Philadelphia.
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“The Spirit of Chicago,” a new attitude of greater co-operation between juke box operators and record manufacturers, born during MOA’s September convention, creating the Bill Cannon committee for surveying programming needs and conveying this information to the labels. This resulted in intensified activity in their release of little LP’s to satisfy operations’ adult programming needs.
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The repeal of the U. S. excise tax on phonograph records has taken away die
another burden that the record industry has been carrying for many years. It has given records the same educational status which the government has long given books and will help continue the trend to bigger sales.
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A ruling by the Federal Communications Commission for AM-FM operations to operate at least 50 per cent of their programming brought about a tremendous increase in potential exposure for records. Many stations separated their programming all the way. In addition, many stations changed their FM to stereo, a factor that could have vast importance on the stereo record business.
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At year’s end, the record companies began to latch on to the Mariachi sound popularized by Herb Alpert’s Tijuana Brass. The Mexican-flavored pop music sound will be getting prime platter time and is being looked on in the trade as the “new sound,” for the time being, anyway. END
(Information and news source: Billboard; January 1, 1966)
BILLBOARD HOT 100 TOP FIVE: WEEK-ENDING JANUARY 08, 1966 (click on above image for more detailed view).
NUMBER 1 IN AMERICA ’66 * The Beatles * WEEK OF 01/02/66 – 01/15/1966
TWELVE WEEKS on the singles chart, “We Can Work It Out” by the Beatles peaked this week at No. 01 (two weeks) on the Billboard Hot 100, week of January 02 through January 15, 1966. (source: Billboard)
MCRFB Link: For the previous No. 1 record in the U.S.A. 1965 GO HERE.
STUBBORN KIND OF FELLOW * Marvin Gaye * TAMLA (Motown) 1962
“I’m Gonna Make You Love Me” (INSTRUMENTAL) * Supremes & Temptations * 1969
By Randy Lewis and Frank Shyong | LA TIMES Staff Writers | January 01, 2016; 9:38 am
Singer Natalie Cole, the daughter of music great Nat King Cole who became a recording star in her own right with hits that spanned three decades, has died, her publicist, Maureen O’Connor, said.
She was 65 years old.
Cole is perhaps best known for her 1991 multiple Grammy-winning album “Unforgettable: With Love,” which became the biggest hit of her career — selling more than 6 million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. Cole wowed audiences with a seamless duet with her late father’s voice on the title tune, one of the elder Cole’s signature numbers.
Other hits included “This Will Be,” “Our Love” and a cover of “Pink Cadillac.”
But for all of Cole’s successes, her life was also marked by years of serious health problems.
Cole’s move to singing was accidental. She was a pre-med student at the University of Massachusetts when a friend — who was singing with a local group — fell ill the night of a show and asked whether Cole would stand in for him. He had heard her sing informally at parties. She ended up taking his place in the group and setting aside a medical career.
Cole’s name helped and hurt. It resulted in a lot of club bookings, but also led to embarrassing moments like the night one club marquee read, “Appearing tonight: The daughter of Nat King Cole.”
Cole’s ace in the hole was the fact she really could sing. CONTINUE
MCRFB note: For the rest of this Los Angeles Times Natalie Cole Obituary article (January 01, 2016), please GO HERE.
For more on Natalie Cole’s death please GO HERE.
Randy Lewis and Frank Shyong| Copyright © 2016 Los Angeles Times
—SCOTT REGEN ON THE BIG 8! CKLW—
MCRFB LINK: TO REVIEW EVERY SINGLE (50TH!) “TOP HITS OF ’65!” (ALL 66!) RANDOMLY FEATURED THROUGHOUT 2015 ON MOTOR CITY RADIO FLASHBACKS — PLEASE GO HERE.
MCRFB LINK: TO REVIEW EVERY SINGLE (50TH!) 1965 BILLBOARD NO. I RECORD HITS (ALL 29!) FEATURED THROUGHOUT 2015 ON MOTOR CITY RADIO FLASHBACKS — PLEASE GO HERE.
