Author: John Holton

I'm a writer and blogger who writes and blogs about things that interest me.

Sadaharu Oh, Oh, Oh It’s Magic #socs

Sadaharu Oh. Source: eBay

Oh Sadaharu, or Sadaharu Oh if you prefer, hit more home runs than anyone else in professional baseball, 868 over a 22-year career with the Yomiuri (Tokyo) Giants in the Nippon Professional Baseball League. He never hit more than 55 in a season, but enjoyed good health for most of his career and never hit fewer than 30 starting in his fourth professional season (1962).

“OH” is important to me, because otherwise I’d be JN.

From 1975, Pilot with their big hit “Magic,” where they say “oh” a lot…

Guess this badge gets retired after this week. Thanks again to Pamela, who seems to have pulled a Mandrake shortly after winning last year’s badge contest. Be sure and check Linda’s blog on Thursday to vote on next year’s badge. I won’t be doing one, since I ended up dead last last year, and the badges I’ve seen so far are amazing…

Stream of Consciousness Saturday is brought to you each week by Linda Hill and this station. Now a word about 7up, The Uncola!

Whatever happened to 7up? They still sell it, but I never see ads for it and haven’t seen it in a machine in I don’t know how long…

The Friday 5×2: KHJ (930 AM Los Angeles), 9/24/1969

While browsing around Pinterest, I found this survey from KHJ in Los Angeles, and thought it was interesting enough to do this week’s Friday 5×2. Here’s their Top 10 from September 24, 1969.

  1. Bill Deal & The Rhondels, “What Kind Of Fool Do You Think I Am” Bill and The Rhondells were a blue-eyed soul/beach music band from Virginia who had three Top 40 singles in 1969. This was the most successful, reaching #23.
  2. Elvis Presley, “Suspicious Minds” Followup to his “In The Ghetto,” this was Elvis’s last #1 single in the US.
  3. Marvin Gaye, “That’s The Way Love Is” On the heels of “Too Busy Thinkin’ ‘Bout My Baby,” this reached #7 nationally and #2 on the R&B chart.
  4. The Rascals, “Carry Me Back” After “People Got To Be Free” was a #1 hit for them in ’68, The Rascals didn’t have another Top 10 hit. This came the closest, reaching #26 on the Hot 100 and #12 on the Cash Box Top 100 Singles chart, as well as reaching #6 in Canada. It did better in some markets, such as LA and Chicago.
  5. The Lettermen, “Hurt So Bad” A cover of the Little Anthony & The Imperials hit, this reached #12 on the Hot 100 and #2 on the AC chart, where The Lettermen thrived.
  6. Jerry Butler, “What’s The Use Of Breaking Up” The Iceman took this to #20 nationally and #4 on the R&B chart, though I don’t recall it being played on the two Top 40 stations in Chicago, Butler’s hometown.
  7. Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, “This Girl Is A Woman Now” Gary and the boys from Union Gap, Washington had a brief but impressive career on the Top 40. This was their last Top 10 hit, checking in at #9.
  8. The Electric Indian, “Keem-O-Sabe” A studio group formed to take advantage of the popularity of Native Americans in the media at the time, this was their only single. It did well as a regional hit around Philadelphia, and United Artists took it national, where it ended up at #20.
  9. Bobby Sherman, “Little Woman” This was the Tiger Beat coverboy’s first Top 10 single, reaching #3. He went on to careers as a paramedic and police officer.
  10. The Dells, “Oh What A Night” This is kind of a surprise. The Dells had been around since 1953 (and are still going), but really didn’t find chart success until a re-recorded version of “Stay In My Corner” from 1965 reached #10 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the R&B chart in 1968. This had originally been released in 1960 as “Oh, What a Nite,” and it likewise reached #10 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the R&B chart.

And that’s The Friday 5×2 for October 18, 2019.