This WDRQ recording was recently donated to our Detroit radio aircheck collection. Lee Alan’s New Year’s Eve Countdown, on WDRQ, December 31, 1977. This was to be his second, and last, on WDRQ. (Lee Alan hosted one other New Year’s Eve broadcast on WDRQ in 1976). In closing out the year, this exclusive posting is our special featured presentation on Motor City Radio Flashbacks on this last day of 2022.
In this recording, the tape begins – timewise – at the 9:59 p.m. hour (Detroit time) with Lee Alan’s presentation of Chuck Berry performing live at the Walled Lake Casino, sometime late-October, in 1963. Five years ago, we lost Chuck Berry in March 2017. Also in the broadcast you will hear Lee Alan paying a short tribute to Elvis Presley, who passed away four months earlier, August 16, 1977.
(Click on 2x or tap over this image for largest detailed view.)
The broadcast was taped by our friend, Greg Innis. Greg has kept this tape in his personal Detroit radio airchecks collection for the past 45 years. And as always, this site is indebted to him for having shared this holiday memory. It is presented here for the very first time, today.
You will note this two hour recording highlights listener call-in’s and recollections, stories and sounds. And minutes before the end of the recording you will hear The Horn counting down the seconds to 1978 . . . as was heard on New Year’s Eve night, December 31, 1977.
Enjoy. Lee Alan’s WDRQ New Year’s Eve Countdown . . . . Happy New Year!
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Audio recording digitally remastered by Motor City Radio Flashbacks
A special THANK YOU to senior site contributor Greg Innis of Livonia, MI., for having provided this featured WDRQ audio memory for our Motor City Radio Flashbacks aircheck repository.
“The listing of records herein is the opinion of CKLW based on its survey of record sales, listener requests and CKLW’s judgement of the record’s appeal.”
The featured CKLW chart was digitally restored in its entirety by Motor City Radio Flashbacks
ON YOUR MOBILE DEVICE? Tap over CKLW chart images. Open to second window. “Stretch” image across your device screen to magnify for largest print view.
ON YOUR PC? Click on all chart images 2x for largest print view.
CKLW BIG 30 December 26, 1967
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A sincere thank you Mrs. Patti Griggs. This featured presentation would have not been possible without your generosity, dedication, and your continuous support.
Above CKLW music chart courtesy of Mrs. Patti Griggs and the George L. Griggs estate.
WXYZ DETROIT SOUNDOfficial Hit Survey December 22, 1964
WXYZ DETROIT SOUNDOfficial Hit Survey December 22, 1964
WXYZ DETROIT SOUNDOfficial Hit Survey December 22, 1964
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This list is selected each week by WXYZ Radio reports of records sales gathered from leading record outlets in the Detroit area and other sources available to WXYZ.
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A special THANK YOU to Larry Good, of Saline, MI., for generously contributing this featured WXYZ chart — December 22, 1964 — to Motor City Radio Flashbacks
The above WXYZ chart was digitally restored by Motor City Radio Flashbacks
WXYZ DETROIT SOUNDOfficial Hit Survey December 22, 1964
In 1963, Nat Cole’s 1960 album The Magic of Christmas was re-issued under the title The Christmas Song, with that recording added to the track in place of God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman, with new cover art added. Music arranged and conducted by Ralph Carmichael.
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Album recording audio remastered by Motor City Radio Flashbacks
The late Tom Ryan held one of the largest collection of Detroit radio recordings he personally taped during the 1960s, the golden era of Detroit Top 40 radio.
Our featured aircheck today is Tom Ryan’s. The love and depth he held for everything Detroit radio — notably WKNR (including the records of that period he collected as well) was commonly known without question — Detroit radio (of the 1960s) was what he enjoyed listening to and grew to love all the more.
We lost Tom Ryan on April 12, 2020.
While we did not acquire the above recording from him personally, Tom did share this (recorded) WKNR compilation on-air while working as a program producer at Honey Radio, some days after WHND officially signed off the air on November 25, 1994.
Taped off Honey Radio nearly three decades ago, this site has kept the featured Ryan audio presentation, since.
Recently edited and condensed, the taped airchecks were also joined to run concurrent, as one aircheck. Motor City Radio Flashbacks presents several of Tom’s WKNR recordings, here, today.
The Keener Sound recalled.
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Audio recording was digitally enhanced by Motor City Radio Flashbacks
Released in the United States on the Philips Records label. Twelve holiday instrumentals as selected by the famed French orchestra conductor, Paul Mauriat. Selections includes, White Christmas, Silent Night, Jingle Bells, O’ Holy Night, and eight others. Released, 1967
Album recording audio remastered by Motor City Radio Flashbacks
In less than three weeks the new Electronovision movie is due to open in 1000 theaters throughout the United States, while it promises to be the biggest grossing rock film ever
Detroit Free Press Sunday, December 27, 1964 (Click or tap over image for largest view)
Two a day.In less than three weeks the first TAMI (Teen-Age Music International) show, called “Teen-Age Command Performance,”in Electronovision,will open in 1000 U.S. theaters. Opening day is December 19. The movie, which stars the top U.S. and British acts in the rock and roll sphere, will run for 24 days, through January 11. The picture will be shown twice a day in the 1000 theaters, once in the morning and once at midnight. Price for the morning show will be 99 cents, for the midnight show, $1.25.
It is believed by many in the music-record business, especially those who are hip to the rock and roll field, that the TAMI show will be the ‘biggest-grossing U.S. teenage rock film’ since “Don’t Knock The Rock” started the film industry series of rock and roll movies during the past decade.
Imaginative presentation.The reason for this belief is due to the quality of the TAMI show, as against most of the rock pictures which have preceded it. The one exception to this is probably the Beatles film, “A Hard Day’s Night,” which has had grosses as spectacular as the sales of the lads’ recordings. (Which may also be due to the fact that an amazingly large number of adults have accepted the Beatles film as an “art” picture.)
Where the TAMI show leaves the old fashioned rock and roll films behind is in the manner of presentation. Like the current TV teen success, “Shindig,” TAMI makes use of teen dancers who perform while the acts are singing. And like “A Hard Day’s Night,” the artistic use of the cameras have added a dimension to the TAMI show that was certainly rarely present in any of the hastily assembled rock films of the late 1950’s.
The opening of the TAMI show alone, with its swift succession of staccato photography shots, sets up the picture as artistic as well as musical, and the manner of photographing the performers in action leaves nothing to be desired on that level.
T.A.M.I. Show theatrical billing. December 1964 (Click or tap over image for largest view)
Filmed “live.” In order to achieve the excitement that a rock show has for rock fans, the artists in the TAMI movie all performed in front of 18,000 youngsters jam-packed into California’s Santa Monica auditorium. Their filmed excitement adds to the excitement of the film and make the entire picture seem more like a live show than a filmed one.
The Electronovision process, a tape filming method for theaters, has been used once before for a film, the modern dress version of “Hamlet” starring Richard Burton. According to those who saw both “Hamlet” and the TAMI show, the Electronovision process has been much improved since the Burton movie. In fact many tradesters consider it equal in quality to any other film process.
Powerful performers.The power of the TAMI show basically lies in its performers. The manner of presentation, the artistic camera shots, the exciting opening, the screaming finale, a real icing to the cake. The cake is of course such hot rock names as Chuck Berry, Gerry and The Pacemakers, the Miracles, Marvin Gaye, Lesley Gore, The Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas, The Supremes, James Brown and the Flames, and the Rolling Stones. (A new group, the Barbarians, are also featured but they are too new to be considered a box-office draw.)
T.A.M.I. Show hosts, Jan and Dean. 1964
There has never been such a potent line-up of teenage box office power concentrated in any one film. Add to this the fact that all of the artists do a large part of their complete stage act, making the two hour film sock entertainment for rock fans, and even for dispassionate observers of the genre.
Hugepotential.Electronovision’s “Hamlet” played only 44 theaters, and ran for only two days. It made money, the actors made money, and according to Elec-tronovision President William Sargent, the theaters made money. With 1000 theaters playing the TAMI show for 24 days, the rock picture could gross much, much more, even at lower admission prices.
If it succeeds as everyone expects it to do, there will be many more TAMI shows in Electronovision, and the TAMI show could be as important in breaking an act on a national scale as records have been, and as TV’s “Shindig” is on its way to becoming.
There is little doubt that Electronovision and the TAMI show could be a major factor in boosting the sale of records to teenagers for a long time to come. END
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Information, credit and source: Music Business, December 5, 1964
A Columbia Records Special Product album. Made especially for the nationwide Grants Department Store chain. The LP features 14 selections of holiday traditions by Columbia Records artists, such as Ray Coniff, Jimmie Rodgers, Patti Page, Johnny Mathis, Jimmy Dean, Simon & Garfunkel and more. Released, 1967
Album recording audio remastered by Motor City Radio Flashbacks
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This WDRQ recording was recently donated to our Detroit radio aircheck collection. Lee Alan’s New Year’s Eve Countdown, on WDRQ, December 31, 1977. This was to be his second, and last, on WDRQ. (Lee Alan hosted one other New Year’s Eve broadcast on WDRQ in 1976). In closing out the year, this exclusive posting is our special featured presentation on Motor City Radio Flashbacks on this last day of 2022.
A special THANK YOU to senior site contributor Greg Innis of Livonia, MI., for having provided this featured WDRQ audio memory for our Motor City Radio Flashbacks aircheck repository.
