Top Ten Tuesday: KDSJ (980 AM Deadwood SD), 1/23/60

Some prretty historic names are associated with Deadwood, South Dakota, including Calamity Jane, Wyatt Earp, and Wild Bill Hickok, but it’s an otherwise very small town (1,270 fine folks as of 2010, probably fewer than that today) in the western part of South Dakota, between Rapid City and the Wyoming state line, KDSJ has been on the air since 1947, and since 1952 has been broadcasting from a former funeral home. KDSJ is a full-service radio station, meaning they play music as well as broadcast news, talk, and sports for the people of Deadwood and the nearby town of Lead. Believe it or not, they actually had a Top 40 survey for January 23, 1960, so let’s take a look at it…

#	Song/Artist	Comments
10	Tear Drop Santo & Johnny	The follow-up to their #1 hit “Sleep Walk” didn’t make it into the Top 20 nationally, only reaching #23.
9	Reveille Rock Johnny & The Hurricanes	The follow-up to their #5 hit “Red River Rock” reached #25 on the Hot 100. It did get to #14 in the UK and their next several singles reached the Top 10 there.
8	How About That Dee Clark	Another of Dee’s pre-“Raindrops” singles, this made it into the Top 40 nationally on the Hot 100 (#33), and also reached #10 on the R&B chart.
7	Little Coco Palm Jerry Wallace	The follow-up to his popular “Primrose Lane,” it managed to crack the Top 40, reaching #36 nationally.
6	Why Frankie Avalon	As I said last week, when it was in the top spot at KODY in North Platte, Nebraska, “A solid #1 hit on the Hot 100, it also reached #6 on the R&B chart and #20 in the UK.” Surprised this is the only song that was on both surveys.
5	Hound Dog Man Fabian	Franie Avalon’s neighor Fabian released this in late 1959 and it rose to #9 on the Hot 100, the last of his songs to reach the Top 10 nationally.
4	Bonnie Came Back Duane Eddy	The Twangmaster took this reworking of “My Bonnie Lies Over The Oean” to #26 in the US and #12 in the UK. Th UK seems to have had a greater appreciation for instrumentals…
3	Happy Sax Red Tyler	Alvin “Red” Tyler is regarded as one of the key figures in New Orleans R&B. This is from his album Rockin’ And Rollin’, credited to “Red Tyler And The Gyros.” which included Allen Toussaint.
2	Go Jimmy Go Jimmy Clanton	The “swamp pop R&B teenage idol” reached #5 on the Hot 100 and #19 on th R&B chart with this record. It was his second and last Top 10 hit.
1	What About Us The Coasters	This song was the flip side of “Run Red Run” and outdid that song, reaching #17 on the Hot 100.

And that’s Top Ten Tuesday for January 19, 2021.

Top Ten Tuesday: KODY (1240 AM, North Platte, NE), 1/9/60

KODY in North Platte, Nebraska currently runs a news-talk format and simulcasts on 106.1 FM, but in the late ’50’s forward (I have no information on when they changed formats) they were a Top 40 station. Here is their Top Ten for January 9, 1960.

#	Song/Artist	Comments
10	El Paso Marty Robbins	The Marty Robbins classic, which reached #1 on both the Country chart and on the Hot 100.
9	Little Donkey Patti Page	About half the songs on this week’s survey are Christmas songs. This is one, about the donkey Mary rode on to Bethlehem.
8	The Chipmunk Song The Chipmunks	This song came out in 1958, and again in 1959 and 1961. It reached #1 on the Hot 100 in 1958 and #41, #45, and #39 the following three years. Starting in 1963, seasonal records had their own survey.
7	Running Bear Johnny Preston	A song written by J.P. Richardson, better known as The Big Bopper, it reached #1 in January 1960 and stayed there for three weeks.
6	We Got Love Bobby Rydell	Written by Bernie Lowe and Kal Mann, this spent 17 weeks on the Hot 100, peaking at #6.
5	This Time Of The Year Brook Benton	Another Christmas song, this reached #12 on the R&B chart and #66 on the Hot 100. Folks in North Platte liked it, though.
4	It’s Christmas Once Again Jimmie Rodgers	I can’t find any information about this record as far as charting, but again, the folks in North Platte liked it.
3	Mighty Good Ricky Nelson	The flip side to his #20 hit “I Wanna Be Loved,” this song managed to make the Top 40, peaking at #38.
2	Be My Guest Fats Domino	John Marascalco and Tommy Boyce worked with Fats on this song. He released it in October 1959 and it reached #8 on the Hot 100 and #2 on the R&B chart.
1	Why Frankie Avalon	A solid #1 hit on the Hot 100, it also reached #6 on the R&B chart and #20 in the UK.

And thats Top Ten Tuesday for January 12, 2021.

Top Ten Tuesday: KTOP (1490 AM, Topeka KS), 01/02/56

There’s very little data on KTOP in Topeka other than they’re now a sports-talk station carrying ESPN programming. Based on the date of this survey, I’d say they’ve been around at least 65 years, and at the beginning of 1956 were broadcasting a Top 40 format. Here’s their Top Ten from January 2, 1956.

#	Song/Artist	Remarks
10	Gee Whittakers! Pat Boone	It wouldn’t be a Top Ten survey from the ’50’s without at least contribution from Mr. White Bucks himself. “Gee Whittakers!” peaked at #19.
9	I Hear You Knockin’ Gale Storm	The star of My Little Margie and The Gale Storm Show was also a singer of some note. Between the two series she had time to record this cover of Fats Domino’s hit song and take it to #2, her personal best.
8	Angels In The Sky The Crew-Cuts	Despite the fact that they called themselves The Crew-Cuts, none of them appear to have worn their hair in one. Nevertheless, they took this song by Dick Glasser to #13.
7	Teenage Prayer Gale Storm	Yes, Gale had two songs in the Top Ten at the same time. This only reached #6.
6	Burn That Candle Bill Haley & His Comets	I can’t for the life of me figure which movie this is from or even if the person who made the video just put it with a scene from the movie because he liked the dancers. Regardless, Bill and crew took this to #9.
5	Poor Me Fats Domino	“Poor Me” made it to #1 on the R&B chart, but only to #47 on the Cash Box Top 100 and not at all onto Billboard‘s chart.
4	Love And Marriage Frank Sinatra	Frank Sinatra must have really liked the music of Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen, and Lord knows it liked him, too. He took this to #5 in the US and #3 in the UK. This was the version used for the TV show Married…With Children.
3	The Great Pretender The Platters	Buck Ram, the Platters’ manager and producer who had been a successful songwriter, wrote “The Great Pretender” and Tony Williams sang lead on it. It reached #1 on the Top 100 and R&B chart and #5 in the UK.
2	Sixteen Tons Tennessee Ernie Ford	This is, simply, a great song, and no one could sing it like Tennessee Ernie Ford. I love how the band lays low while he sings the verses so all you hear are his voice and the finger snaps, and he makes the song look much easier than I’m sure it was. It spent ten weeks at #1 on the country chart, then crossed over and spent another 8 weeks at #1 on the Top 100.
1	Memories Are Made Of This Dean Martin	Dean’s backup singers on this record were Terry Gilkyson, Richard Dehr, and Frank Miller, the authors of the song, appearing as The Easy Riders. The song reached #1 on the Top 100 for five weeks.

And that’s Top Ten Tuesday for January 5, 2021.

Top Ten Tuesday: KAZZ (95.5 FM, San Antonio TX), 12/27/1965

KAZZ (95.5 in San Antonio, Texas) is now KKMJ, playing "Continuous Soft Rock." It started as a jazz station, then was bought by a local restaurateur who went to a "block" format. One of those blocks, starting in 1964, was Top 40, making the station the first Top 40 station on the FM dial in Texas. Their last survey of 1965 was issued on December 27, so let’s take a look at that one.

#	Song/Artist	Remarks
10	Over And Over Dave Clark 5	A song written by Robert James Byrd, who recorded it under his stage name Bobby Day, whose version reached #41 on the Hot 100 in 1958. It was the DC5’s twelfth Top 40 hit and their only #1 in the US.
9	Fever The McCoys	I hadn’t heard The McCoys’ version of this Eddie Cooley-John Davenport song, popularized by Peggy Lee, and for a minute thought I had selected “Hang On Sloopy” by mistake. It reached #7 nationally, but for some reason didn’t chart in Chicago, and I heard it for the first time today.
8	A Young Girl (of Sixteen) Noel Harrison	Besides being the son of Rex Harrison and being The Girl From UNCLE‘s partner, Noel Harrison is best known for singing “The Windmills of Your Mind” from the movie The Thomas Crown Affair. “A Young Girl” reached #5 in Canada, but only reached #51 on the Hot 100.
7	Look Through Any Window The Hollies	The Hollies’ first song to reach the Top 40 in the US, it peaked at #32 on the Hot 100, while it was a Top Ten hit in Canada (#5).
6	A Well Respected Man The Kinks	One of four Kinks songs on The Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame’s list of 500 Songs That Shaped Rock & Roll, it peaked at #13 on the Hot 100.
5	Ebb Tide The Righteous Brothers	Written by Carl Sigman and Robert Maxwell and considered a standard, The Righteous Brothers had the most chart success with it, reaching #5 on the Hot 100. Bobby Hatfield sang lead on it and it was the last Righteous Brothers record produced by Phil Spector.
4	Turn! Turn! Turn! The Byrds	Written by that lovable old Red Pete Seeger, it was essentially lifted from the third chapter of the Old Testament book Ecclesiastes. Whatever the case, The Byrds turned it into a #1 hit nationally by the end of 1965.
3	Thunderball Tom Jones	The story goes that Tom fainted at the end of that long-held note at the end. The song reached #25 on the Hot 100, #35 in the UK, #10 in Canada and Austria, and #6 in Belgium.
2	I See The Light The Five Americans	The Five Americans are best known for their 1967 hit “Western Union,” their only song to reach the Top Ten. This song reached #26.
1	We Can Work It Out The Beatles	A double-A side single with “Day Tripper,” the first time that was done in the UK. It was the seventh highest selling single of the 1960’s in the UK. It was a #1 in most of the world.

And that’s Top Ten Tuesday for December 29, 2020.

Top Ten Tuesday: KELI (1430 AM Tulsa, OK), 12/22/72

KELI is now KTBZ, "The Buzz," running a Sports-Talk format, but during the ’60’s and ’70’s was one of the most popular Top 40 stations in Oklahoma. Let’s go back and see their Top Ten from exactly 48 years ago.

#	Song/Artist	Comments
10	Living In The Past Jethro Tull	Title track from their 1972 album, which was generally a compilation of some of their previous material. The song had been released several years earlier, in 1969, and risen to #3 on the British charts. It reached #11 in the US and #16 in Canada. Interesting fact: the song is written in 5/4 time.
9	Corner of the Sky Jackson 5	“Corner of The Sky” is from the Broadway musical Pippin. The Jacksons’ cover reached #18 on the Hot 100, and believe it or not, I don’t remember hearing this at all.
8	You’re So Vain Carly Simon	From her album No Secrets, it became an international #1 hit. Maybe the speculation over who the song was about was the secret to its success. Ms. Simon has told about who the song isn’t about than who it is about. I don’t know about you, but I’ve lost interest, which might be what she wanted.
7	Your Mama Don’t Dance Loggins & Messina	I was a big Loggins & Messina fan back in high school, going as far as to switch to L&M cigarettes for a while. Kenny certainly puts on a show in the middle of the song on this video, which was taken from the popular Burt Sugarman’s The Midnight Special, which I’m certain I was watching the night they taped this. It reached #4 on the Hot 100, the highest of any of their singles.
6	Something’s Wrong With Me Austin Roberts	Up to this point, the biggest thing Austin Roberts had done was sing the theme song for Season 2 of Scooby Doo, Where Are You? He reached #12 on the Hot 100 with this song, which I swear I never heard until today.
5	Walk On Water Neil Diamond	“Walk On Water” is an album track from Neil’s eighth studio album, 1972’s Moods, which explains why I never heard it until today. The next song on the album, “Theme,” is the last 1:38 of this video.
4	It Never Rains In Southern California Albert Hammond	Title track from Albert’s album, it reached #5 on the Hot 100 and #2 on the Easy Listening chart. It also reached #2 in Canada and #1 in Japan.
3	Pieces Of April Three Dog Night	Written by Kenny Loggins’s second cousin Dave, who later wrote “Please Come To Boston.” It appeared on 3DN’s 1972 album Seven Separate Fools and reached #19 on the Hot 100, #6 on the Adult Contemporary chart, #14 on the Canadian pop chart, and #9 on the Canadian Adult Contemporary chart.
2	Rockin’ Pneumonia & The Boogie-Woogie Flu Johnny Rivers	This song was originaly recorded by Huey “Piano” Smith in 1958 and reached #52 on the Hot 100. Johnny’s cover reached #6 on the Hot 100, not his highest position on that chart to date, but spent 19 weeks on the chart.
1	Sweet Surrender Bread	I have no recollection of this song, either, but it was their fourth and final song to top the Easy Listening chart. It reached #11 on the Hot 100.

And that’s Top Ten Tuesday for December 22, 2020.