Dan Brennan at the mic introducing the Beatles at their Gator Bowl appearance in Jacksonville, Florida. Readers of AL.com have plenty of ideas. The venue? That was one of my first big gigs - the Big BAM shows! They didn't come to hear me; they came to hear the Rolling Stones.'". Skyping with a Hermit Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. We occasionally wouldn't fill all three seatings in Birmingham, but I don't think we ever had one that was less than about 70 percent full, with all three together. I missed a bunch more, though!". "Hendrix, Joplin, the Who, Elvis, Dylan all played in Tuscaloosa," said Jeremy Don McCollough. They agreed to do it, but they were on one end of it, and the Beach Boys were on the other end of it. The Beach Boys were fresh-faced headliners that night, riding high on the success of hits such as "I Get Around," "Surfer Girl," "Surfin' U.S.A,""Help Me, Rhonda" and "California Girls." In 1964 the Brennans booked the Beatles for a concert in either Legion Field in Birmingham, or Garrett Coliseum or Crampton Bowl in Montgomery. Still, for radio listeners who tuned into WVOK back in the day, Brennan will always be Dan the Music Man. If you have one, it's going to be way down the other part of the field.' "Me and my girlfriends would get up at -- holy moly, 6 a.m. -- and get there long before the show ever started," said Connie Peek, a former Shower of Stars regular, during a 2003 interview with The Birmingham News. Both stations played Top 40 hits of the day, and the concerts were the Brennans gifts to a loyal radio audience. When was the last concert at Big Bam Fall Spectacular? "I remember the Rolling Stones came up to me, and they said, 'You don't really expect us to get into the same RV that the Beach Boys are in, do you?' The Fabulous Shades, 1965. But in the minds of Alabama listeners, WVOK and WBAM ruled supreme, and the stations were closely linked by their concert series. ", From rtrmark: "Alice Cooper. Bottom (l-r), Ronnie Monroe, Bobby Dupree and Rusty Crumpton. People would come night after night, said Lander, who owns Bama Lanes in Montgomery and Prattville. Its amazing the life we got to live.. "My brother, he was always a little bit of a gambler," Brennan says. When I got on stage the drum kit seat was way too high. "You didn't have to know anything about guitar to realize that he was one of the best ever to take the stage. by Lenore Reese Vickrey: photos by the Brennan Family, Lenore Vickrey, As the arena began to fill up, you could hear the noise of the crowd from backstage. Canned Heat. Hes been a school principal and now sells wholesale art, although business has been suffering due to the economy. After the Beatles press conference, where the Fab Four were munching on potato chips, Diane Brennan, daughter of Cyril and Louise, grabbed the partially consumed shards in fear that her sister Donnie would eat them. I'll never forget it. Butspeaking in general terms, each also hada specialty: Bill the visionaryentrepreneur, Cyril the tech-mindedpioneer, Dan the key concert producer and a smooth, recognizable voice at WVOK. His family owned WBAM in Montgomery, and WVOK in Birmingham, both 50,000 watt clear channels stations back in the day. go to da moon copy and paste. . "In those days, you could go to a concert and there was only one back door. That one was epic alright, unlike any other! "People were going crazy, and you couldn't hear anything because the girls were screaming so loud," Bartoletti says. George Harrison is behind Dan on the left, John Lennon on the right. Our four-piece horn section sets us apart, said Key. Otherwise . Formed: 1966, Tallassee. "Bill" Brennan, Billy Benns (Jr.) and Mrs. Luella B. Aldridge. Both concerts were sold out. The song actually topped the charts on WBAM in Montgomery, AL for a few weeks which gave us introductions to the British Invasion groups coming through Montgomery for the Big BAM shows held at the Coliseum for many years, like The Who, The Hollies, The Blues Magoos, The Kinks, and many more including American groups like The Beach Boys, The . In the 1960s and early 1970s, the station sponsored a series of pop/rock concerts known as "Big BAM Shows" featuring acts ranging from Paul Revere and the Raiders, Lou Christie, and The Beach Boys to comedian Pat Paulsen. But Brennandoes have many stories to share -- about preventing a fistfight between two starswho wanted theclosing spot in Birmingham, or example, or puzzling over two entertainerswho showed up in Montgomery, both claiming to be country singer Bobby Edwards. A real commercial from the 60's with announcer Bill J Moody .Exciting times as a teen.growing up in Montgomery. The concert series started around 1960 with such stars as Fabian and Brenda Lee. Whitwam remembers little of that show, but subsequent performances are crystal clear. It feels good. "Ringo had a riser above the stage, and of course this is all outdoors, and the winds were blowing up to 70 miles an hour," Brennan says. We were very obnoxious to the security guard, who was the nicest guy, and of course, we would go in and outside all the time. on. "Cyril's idea was, 'Tell them to sing, just a little bit, and make sure that we get the right one.' Oh, and some guy named David on slide. While Gator Bowl officials relented to a desegregated audience for the concert, two other venues Epstein had chosen were problematic. Ticket prices were $2 for shows in the early 1960s, gradually increasing to a top price of $5.50, a pittance by todays standards. Bob Brennen gave me these. The Rogues of Montgomery, AL cut one great rock single, "Put You Down" b/w a version of "Stormy Monday Blues". They changed their name to Heart before eventually folding. The chips were glued into Dianes scrap book between photos of the Beatles. Deep South was incorporated in late July of 1950 with a capitalization of $60,000. Roy Orbis. Cyril's wife Louise would make us outfits for the Shower of Stars, and we'd have on these big bell bottoms. Members: Original members John Key, David Headley and Bob Corley plus David Langford, Mike Mobley, Larry Hughes, Bobby Johnson and Rick Roper. We would always find the artists who were very popular with our audience, and we would try to get them, and we usually were successful.". Several members still play in other bands for private parties, or solo at local restaurants, and on June 9, several members of Harmony plan a reunion show at the Blue Iguana in Prattville. Instead, the concert was held at the Gator Bowl under the auspices of the Brennans Jacksonville station WAPE, the Big APE. Bobby Goldsboro was having a nice run of hits in the mid-'60s when suddenly, with the release of a song called "Honey" in 1968, he became a major star. Competition was evident between the two bands, Brennan says, as the Beach Boys returned for their splashiest date at the Shower of Stars, and the Stones made theirBirmingham debut on their first U.S. tour. No one came down to buy scalped tickets at the price everyone thought they were going to have to pay.. hehehehe .", From Mark Keppler: "Eagles 1977 Hotel California Tour Civic Center. He wanted us to sign a management contract with him, but we were still under contract with Marshall and . The wildest thing other than the Troggs rocking out to "Wild Thing" and whipping around long dirty hanks of British hair was Lou Christie. Later acts included the Beach Boys, the Animals, the Dave Clark Five, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Tommy James and the Shondells and the perennial Montgomery favorite, Lou Christie. But in the stations' 1960s heyday, shows usually kicked off on Fridays inMontgomery atGarrett Coliseum and moved to Birmingham on Saturdays at Municipal Auditorium (now called Boutwell Auditorium). Each episode had a specific theme, mission, or challenge which was accomplished by performing pranks, skateboarding, and enlisting the help of . Peter (Asher) and Gordon (Waller), Big BAM Show. ', "We went over there and asked Roy, and he said, 'No, we're not going to do that. "I think the story about Buckingham Nicks is pretty interesting. Carl Perkins. With an amazing backing band, he proceeded to entertain the entire evening. ", From bhamboost: "Parliament Funkadelic Mothership Connection 1976. ", From ghostreader: "Springsteen, mobile civic center theater may 1976. The Byrds. "One of the the things we had to do, in order to provide bathroom facilities for all of the artists, we had a bunch of RVs, recreation vehicles, and they were all over the field out there," Brennan says. ", From UABMBA: "One of the greatest concerts in Alabama was The Rolling Stones with Chuck Berry at Auburn Memorial Coliseum, November 14, 1969. For fans, half the fun was trying for a glimpse of the stars at their hotel or coming to and from the coliseum. Ask anyone who was there. Tickets were priced at$1.50-$5.50 per show, Brennan says, and artists' fees usually ran about $300-$7,500 per act. It was electric. The author recalls with fondness the casual neighborliness that existed within his community, the freedom that children enjoyed to roam and play, and the slower pace of life that prevailed. Alicia McLeod - Vocals. How many people have been able to say this at a concert, facing a roaring crowd? From Denniswingo: "April 1977 was Led Zeppelin.famous because it was so totally over promoted with the K-99 disc jockeys claiming $100 scalped tickets (it was $7.50 ticket price). former wcti reporters; winter village montreal; western new england university greek life; 1980 camaro z28 for sale in canada. Because it was so big, we ran on stage as soon as we were introduced, grabbed our instruments and started playing before the applause died down. I can sing as good or better now than I did then, said Grier. ", "I don't know if it has been mentioned yet, but for the Alabama Theater I would definitely include Warren Zevon's show in, what?.1986 or '87?, said earman1. . They had easy backstage access, as well, and would confidently sashay throughout the venue. This was the last concert they did before going back to LA and joining the band Fleetwood Mac. "Eight Days a Week -- The Touring Years. I think we had at least 15,000-16,000 people there. WMSP (740 AM, Sports Radio 740) is a radio station licensed to serve Montgomery, Alabama, USA. Their friends were quite envious when they got to hang out with the Grass Roots, Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds, Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere and the Raiders, and rode around with Eric Burden and the Animals. The following year 13 acts played in WVOKs Shower of Stars show at Legion Field in Birmingham. ", From Art Meripol: "U2's Zoo Tour at Legion was pretty fun from the floor.". Though theyve had other jobs over the years, neither Jones nor Beavers have stopped playing music. The Righteous Brothers. In Brennan's view, that's a satisfying legacy. Renamed Rock Hull Band in 77 before reclaiming original name in 90. For more, visit Rich's YouTube Channel . "Radio played the song every twenty minutes. "Put You Down" was written by lead guitarist Max Kendrick and vocalist Rich Gainer. Yet there was also a gentler side of the city that is rarely revealed within the pages of history texts. Neil Diamond. The 7 p.m.show-- billedas a music battle between the England and the United States-- also includedtheRighteous Brothers, Marty Robbins, Sonny James, Skeeter Davis, Del Reeves, Archie "Rindercella" Campbell and Cannibal and the Headhunters. Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy Uploaded 11 years ago Music 4; Photos 0; Interview . Inicio Quines somos? Iron Butterfly. "It cost enough that we were lucky to come out with just enough and break even with it," Brennan says. ", From Shapeshiftinhmojo: "Jimi Hendrix played Alabama twice in both Tuscaloosa and Auburn in 1968 or 69. Steve Lander, who originally booked Harvest at the Kove in 1975, has offered the Blue Iguana free for the night. The Rockin' Rebellions entered the big VOX (sound equipment) sponsored "WVOK Battle of the Bands" contest held at the Boutwell Auditorium in downtown Birmingham on May 20, 1967. . The Lovin' Spoonful. "Elviswas an opening act," Brennan says. He plays locally at Ruddles, Coaches Corner in Wetumpka, Young Barn Oyster Pub, and has recorded a CD. 1984 at the BJCC. The station is locally owned and operated by Bluewater Broadcasting Company, LLC Birmingham on May 20, 1967. Search the Largest Online Newspaper Archive. Patsy Cline Performs Her Final Show Country Music Memories; Most Wanted Music: 2023's Country and Americana Album Releases; Follow Us.

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