Classic Rock Trivia - You Too Can Become a Storehouse of Useless Knowledge

I just had to post this news. When I was in high school, I was in a band with 3 of my best friends. One of the groups that influenced us the most was The Ventures!

We played a lot of their songs, and I even wrote a song that I sent to them. Bob sent me a very nice letter, and I have it to this day!

--------------- From The Seattle Times --------------------------------

Bob Bogle, co-founder of legendary Tacoma garage-rock band, the Ventures
By Ernest A. Jasmin

The News Tribune

Bob Bogle - co-founder of legendary Tacoma garage-rock band, the Ventures, and the architect behind the distinctive guitar sound of early hits "Walk, Don't Run" and "Perfidia" - has died.

Mr. Bogle, a resident of Vancouver, Wash., was 75 when he died on Sunday. He suffered from Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and had been too frail to play with the Ventures in his waning years. But he lived long enough to see his band inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2008.

Mr. Bogle became ill over the weekend and was taken to a hospital where he died, according to Ventures co-founder Don Wilson, Mr. Bogle's friend and musical collaborator for more than five decades.

"Even though you know it's gonna happen, when it does, it's like a bomb dropping on you," said Wilson, who lives in Sammamish.

"Boy, I tell you, he's the brother I never had," he said. "And he is much more than any brother could be. He and I were partners for, like, 52 years. And to tell you the honest truth, we had never, ever had an argument in all that time - never."

Friends, peers and admirers recalled the lack of ego that accompanied Mr. Bogle's virtuosity.

"He was a very creative, talented person," said Buck Ormsby of the Fabulous Wailers, the Tacoma band that paved the way for the Ventures with their 1959 hit "Tall Cool One."

"He looked like he was so relaxed in everything he did," Ormsby said. "... And he was a great guy, just one of the nicest guys you'll ever want to meet."

Seattle radio disc jockey Mark Christopher spearheaded a campaign to get the long-overlooked Ventures into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame when he was with Seattle oldies station KBSG-FM.

"It was just a privilege to meet him and just an honor to know that he did get into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and saw that before his time," Christopher said. "That was a biggie for me. I just wanted to make sure the guys, because they were getting older, at least got to see something like that before their time came."

Wilson recalled selling cars in Seattle in the late '50s, when Mr. Bogle walked into his dealership one day. Wilson was struggling to make commission. And when he learned that Mr. Bogle worked construction, Wilson asked if he could get him a job.

"That's why we started working together," Wilson said. "And then we found out that we each knew a few chords on the guitar, you know, and we had a lot of free time on our hands. But neither of us owned a guitar."

The two men bought a pair of guitars and a chord book at a downtown Tacoma pawnshop in 1958, aspiring only to find easier work headlining local nightclubs. But fate had so much more in store for them.

The Ventures scored their first hit with a remake of a Chet Atkins song called "Walk, Don't Run" in 1960. It would become one of the most influential songs in rock history, sparking a remarkable run that saw the Ventures chart with 38 albums between 1960 and 1972 en route to more than 100 million records sold.

"That song started a whole new movement in Rock 'n' Roll. The sound of it became 'surf music' and the audacity of it empowered guitarists everywhere," said Creedence Clearwater Revival's John Fogerty, as he inducted the Ventures into the rock hall of fame last year. "Every guitar player on this planet knows what I'm talking about."

While Nokie Edwards eventually took over as lead guitarist for the ventures, Wilson recalled how Mr. Bogle laid the foundation for the Ventures' innovative sound.

"If you listen to 'Walk, Don't Run' and 'Perfidia,' the lead guitar is just totally unique," Wilson said. "He used that vibrato bar - they call it a whammy bar - and he used it like nobody else.

"Nobody had heard anything like it. That was why 'Walk, Don't Run' was such a monster hit. I run across so many people, guitar players - famous ones - and they say the first song I learned was 'Walk, Don't Run'."

Funeral arrangements are pending. Wilson expected services to be held on Thursday or Friday.

Copyright © 2009 The Seattle Times Company

All summer there's been a whole bunch of hoopla about the Woodstock Festival. It certainly turned into a historic event, but even though a whole lot of people went to it, a whole lot more people didn't.

At the time, I was living in Central City Colorado and playing drums for the house band at The Silver Slipper. My brother and several good friends were working there too. When we heard about the Denver Pop Festival, we had to get tickets.

The Denver Pop Festival was a three-day music festival June 27-June 29, 1969 which was largely overshadowed by Woodstock two months later. The Denver festival had the full support and local resources of a major city, taking place in Denver Mile High Stadium - home of The Broncos. It wasn't like the free-form happening in upstate New York, and the peak attendance was estimated at 50,000.

It was one of my most memorable events of the 60's. We had a ball! I remember Three Dog Night was so popular that they appeared all 3 nights.

We heard Johnny Winter for the first time, and couldn't believe our ears!

Several of the members of Poco were from local Denver bands, and we had become huge fans of theirs. Then there was Tommy Bolin! All of us were fans of his from college fraternity parties and clubs in Boulder - home of Colorado University.

Creedance was already one of our favorite bands so we thoroughly enjoyed hearing them.

We were familiar with The Mothers of Invention, but not necessarily big fans, until we saw them here. Frank Zappa was an unbelievably good guitar player, and his compositions were probably "genius". He divided the audience into sections and had us all yell certain noises when he pointed at us! Ha! He even created a little "tune" for his new "crowd instrument" , and called us "Denver".

And then there was Jimi. Need I say more? Just think, we got to hear The Star Spangled Banner BEFORE the Woodstock crowd.

Outside of one instance when the police had to use tear gas, and it drifted into the stadium to burn our eyes, in the words of The Beatles, I would say, "A good time was had by all".

Here's a list of performers:

June 27
Big Mama Thornton
The Flock
Three Dog Night
Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention
Hungry Freaks Daddy
Downtown Talent Scout (long version, called "The Heat's Out Every Night")
The String Quartet
Some Ballet Music
Zappa conducts the audience
Iron Butterfly

June 28
Aeorta
Zephyr (with Tommy Bolin)
Poco
Johnny Winter
Rollin' & Tumblin'
Help Me
Leland Mississippi
Going Down Slow
Mean Town Blues
I'm Not Sure
It's My Own Fault
Tim Buckley
Dolphins
Gypsy Woman
Buzzin' Fly
The Train
Creedence Clearwater Revival

June 29
Aum
Rev. Cleophus Robinson
Sweetwater
Joe Cocker
The Jimi Hendrix Experience (final performance together)
Tax Free
Hear My Train A Comin'
Fire
Spanish Castle Magic
Red House
Foxy Lady
Star Spangled Banner
Purple Haze

Now here's the BIG Trivia Question for you. How much were the tickets?

Ticket prices were $6 per day, or $15 for all three days (Fri, Sat, Sun). On Sunday, after all possible tickets had been sold, the promoter announced from the stage that he was declaring it a "free festival".

Eat Your Heart Out!

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT! Due to popular demand, here's a link to the answers. A N S W E R S

They used to refer to me as a storehouse of useless knowledge. The trouble is, I'm getting older and my memory is beginning to fade. However, I bet I can probably still come up with some goodies.

Be sure to watch the video below. It'll jog your memory!

====================================================
When I taught Recording to high school students, I always hit them with this one:

1) Who sang "96 Tears"?

I once won a T-Shirt for answering this one:

2) The group called Them had a hit with "G-l-o-r-i-a". Who was the lead singer?

I just saw a TV commercial that reminded me of this question.

3) "In A Gadda Da Vida" was a misunderstanding of what title?

4) Dion had a big hit with "Abraham, Martin, and John". His first hits were with what group?

5) Who are the 2 guys in the picture above (their real names)?

6) What song inspired the term "Heavy Metal"?

7) Who's voice can be heard as a background vocal in Carly Simon's "You're So Vain?"

8) Many of you know Elton John's real name. But who did he get Elton and John from?

9) Who was the Walrus?

10) The song "Black Magic Woman" became most famous for Santana's version. But what super group did the song first, having been written by one of it's founding members, Peter Green?

11) Before Neal Schon became a founding member of Journey, what group did he tour with at the age of 15?

12) Who is the female artist with the most No.1 hits?

13) What is a Buffalo Springfield?

14) On the carry-out groove on one side of Joe Walsh album: The Smoker You Drink the Player You Get, there is a written message that reads:

15) Just heard this on the radio. Who sang it?
"Dead Skunk" ("In the middle of the road")

16) Remember the song, "White Bird"? What was the name of the group who sang it?

17) What was The Beatles song released from Magical Mystery Tour that did not reach No. 1?

18) On March 13, 1964, The Beatles had 4 songs that occupied the first four spots in the Top 10. (An accomplishment never before achieved or repeated since, and most likely never will be.) What were they and in what order?

19) A & M Records was named from the surnames of its two founders. What was the name of the founder whose surname started with A?

20.) Who sang the theme song for the late night TV show "The Midnight Special" in the 70's and early 80's?

21.) In the early 60's Joey Dee and The Starliters made The Twist and The Peppermint Lounge famous. When they toured in 1965, the guitar player was Jimmy James. He went on to become one of the most famous guitar players of all time, but changed his name. Who was he?

I'll add more questions periodically, but you must keep cruising back here to test your knowledge.

Let's not be L-Seven!

The VOX Heritage Collection

The amps used by The Beatles!!

Your search for the Holy Grail of VOX tone ends here. To commemorate the 50th Anniversary of VOX guitar amplifiers, Vox introduces the latest in the new Heritage Collection range of hand-wired amplifiers - the AC30H2. Rather than just a typical reissue where a vintage amp is dusted off and copied, this amplifier, like the others in the Heritage Collection, transports you through the golden age of VOX tone, combining the prized EF86 preamp channel of 1958 with the 1963 Top Boost channel all in one amplifier. Add in some modern tone shaping control enhancements and the result is perhaps the finest VOX amplifier in the company's 50 year history.

When I go to bed every night, I listen to a radio show called Coast to Coast AM. It keeps me updated on all the current invasions from outer space, paranormal activities, Roswell, and "rods". last Thursday, the special guests were Robby Krieger and Ray Manzarek! I had to listen, and it was a lot of fun.

They dispelled the myth about Jim being alive, and answered callers' questions. Read more at this page Show Recap

And, check out the group's website - Riders on the Storm

PS: If you are an Indie, or you know an independant artist who is trying to promote their music online, you must steer them to this resource.

The Indie Bible shows you where to get your CD reviewed, your songs played on the radio, and your music sold.

While stumbling around the Internet, I ran across this website. You MUST check it out! If you happen to be from Denver, it will bring back a lot of memories. These guys are the "REAL THING".
ClassicRockAllstars

ATTENTION Classic Rock Fans:
You must pay a visit or 2 or 20 to this website.
Classic Rock Revisited

The 60's Official Website - You could spend ALL DAY HERE! Millions of Memories!

Hey, I know, this is a little "off-topic", but it really is fascinating and it does involve sound. Also, it reminds me a lot of all the "off the wall" ideas that emerged in the 60's.

I admit I have not tried this, but I just may. I have a lot of respect for Mark Joyner, and I also heard the creator interviewed. Plus, this review is written by a guy named Bean.

What the heck. Go take a look. Anything that ROCKS the brain can't be all bad. Right?

Train My Brain

During spring break in 1968, 4 of us decided to go to San Francisco and see the Hippie Headquarters up close and personal. We crammed our bodies and luggage into a little car called an Opel. Listen, when we went uphill, 3 of us had to get out and push!

Believe it or not, we made it to San Francisco - where the girls wore flowers in their hair. Finding our way to Haight Ashbury, we soaked it all in - cafes, head shops , poster shops, hip boutiques, street musicians, odd odors in the air.

Having limited time and limited budget, we headed south. Our plans included going to L.A. to meet a friend, so we wanted to drive down the coastal highway - #1, I believe.

We experienced 2 memorable events on this leg of our journey.

As we headed down the coast, we were shocked at all the people (Hippies) hitching and walking along the highway. There were men, women, and children - all yelling and waving the "peace" sign Since we didn't even have room for ourselves in our car, we sure couldn't give anyone a ride.

So we stopped at a convenience store and bought candy. Then we threw the candy as we drove past everyone and returned the "peace" sign. Eventually, the numbers dwindled, and we were cruising along right on the edge of cliffs above the ocean. It was an absolutely incredible experience for four guys from the plains!

The second memorable event, or not, took place further down the coast. It just so happened that we were on this highway the very same day some "prophet" had predicted there would be a huge earthquake, and the California coast was going to be swallowed up by the Pacific ocean.

Well, we thought we'd get a front row seat, so we stopped the car and climbed down to the beach. There was a huge rock sticking up out of the water just a ways out from the shore, so we waded out and climbed up to sit on the top. It was great! The waves were breaking all around it and we knew we had the best seat in the house to watch the coast crumble.

The coast didn't crumble, but a huge wave came in and nearly drowned us. Ha! We had to take everything oout of our wallets and spread it out on the car to dry. We laughed for the rest of the trip!

to be continued...
Picture at:http://www.coe.shuttle.de/coe/cbg-duelmen/san/engl_lk/flower/summer_of_love.htm

Wow! I just happened to see an InfoMercial last week all about this amazing show. They had almost every artist in the world appear. And they performed LIVE! No lip-synching allowed. Well, now you can buy DVD's with all these great performanes.

If you see the infomercail, watch it!

NOT AVAILABLE IN STORES, Gotta go here: The Midnight Special

See Trivia Question No. 20 Up Above.

zZounds offers the widest selection of name-brand insruments at guaranteed lowest prices. You can purchase over 125,000 different products from their website 24 hours a day. Check it out!