Remembering Pete Fornatale

When it rains it pours.  As soon as we finish learning about ESPN’s move to FM radio in NYC, we find out about the passing of Pete Fornatale.  He will be remembered for his many years at WNEW-FM, 92.3 K-Rock, and WFUV.  He often played songs by Poco and The Beach Boys, so much so that these artists are associated with him.  From the front page of his web site:

Dear Friends:

It is with a heavy, heavy heart that I write this message …

Pete Fornatale passed away peacefully today at 11:30am. There will be a private wake and funeral service for him.

Fans should know, though, that plans are being made for a memorial tribute to Pete that will be held in the near future. It will be hosted by his friends at WhyHunger, with the support of Pete’s family, his friends, and … of course … his many fans. Information about that event will be made available here on the website.

I anticipate that Vin Scelsa and Bill Ayres will have more to say about Pete this coming weekend.

Rest in peace, Pete, you will be missed very much.

Remembering “America’s oldest teenager”

Publicity photo of American Bandstand host Dick Clark. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Dick Clark was many things.  He was a radio announcer, a television producer, and a game show host.  Perhaps most of all, he will be remembered as the host of American Bandstand.  His New Year’s Eve program will most likely be hosted by Ryan Seacrest in future years, while continuing to bear the “Dick Clark Productions” name in the credits.

Rest in peace, Dick, and we forgive you for not recognizing Batman and Robin.

The more things change…

Something to watch while you’re paying your taxes…

The Kinks – “Low Budget”

Who says radio isn’t educational?

Ready for some more music history?  This morning, Anthony on WEHM brought up an interesting article about baseball and jazz, and how it started with a minor league pitcher named Ben Henderson:

Henderson gave a Los Angeles Times reporter a preview of what he had planned for the game. “I got a new curve this year,” he explained, “and I’m goin’ to pitch one or two of them tomorrow. I call it the Jazz ball because it wobbles and you simply can’t do anything with it.” The headline for the item, from April 2, 1912, was simply “Ben’s Jazz Curve.”

Henderson’s team lost the game, but the name of his pitch traveled around the country, eventually becoming the name of the music we know as jazz.

So, with baseball season approaching, how about some Abbott and Costello?  That could be a bit of jazz playing right before their routine…

Where Music is Going

Dave Grohl playing with Scream (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Several years ago, radio station Z100 used the slogan “where music is going.”  I suppose if you were a teenager into Britney Spears and other pop acts, it was where music was going.  If you preferred the likes of Nirvana and Radiohead, well, it was going somewhere else.  However, if you’ve ever wondered where music is really going, Alan Cross may have an answer for you:

Since rock was born in the 1950s, rock and pop have been locked in a battle. Each combatant is 180 degrees out of phase with the other. When rock is strong and on the ascendant the public’s consciousness, pop is on a decline.

Eventually rock tops out and begins a decline as the public’s attention moves towards pop. Once pop peaks and rock bottoms out, the cycle begins again. This back-and-forth dance has played itself out every 12 or 13 years for the last six decades.

There’s much more, and if you have any interest in the history of contemporary music you should check it out.