With the passing of Little Richard it reminded of the man who started it all for me, Elvis Presley, and the three dates I associate with him, February 4, 1956, April 5, 1972, and June 26, 1977.
On the night of February 4th, 1956, I was at home watching TV with my folks because I’d missed my midnight curfew the previous weekend so I was grounded. They were watching some very annoying big band show called “Stage Show, when all of a sudden some guy named Elvis Presley, burst on to the screen.
As he belted out Little Richard’s “Tutti Frutti,” I was as mesmerized as my parents were horrified but when the girls all started screaming, I was done for, and knew that I had to become a “Guitar Man.” (see photo on top and to see and hear what I saw that night, click on the link at the bottom of the page)
A sidebar to all of this was my son Curtis who was 5 or 6 at the time had fallen asleep in his chair during the concert but had awakened when Elvis was singing, “I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You.” All of a sudden, during a soft part in the song, he climbed up on his seat and yelled, “Hey, Elvis!” When Elvis turned to look at him, the whole arena laughed.
Droplets of sweat are how you measure luck, the more you sweat, the luckier you get.
So do I have this right, anything terrible said about Trump is true, but anything good he does is fake news?
Success is like riding a bicycle; if you don’t keep moving, you fall.
Putting an ‘R’ or ‘D’ in front of someone’s name doesn’t make them any smarter.
According to the history books, if you were a country that didn’t believe in Jesus, you were fucked.
I was done with radio the day the owners became more famous than the air talent. Does anybody know how that turned out?
No matter what you think, say, or do, the future always takes care of itself.
It can begin again with innovation.
Small accomplishments usually end up much more significant than moments of greatness.
Wouldn’t you think that San Diego would be ripe for a new NFL team?
From where I sit as a Centrist, it appears that the liberals like China and the Arab countries much more than they do, America?
Free cheese is only available in a mousetrap.
The only way to know the real truth is to know all six sides of the story.
Scientists still don’t know why we need to sleep.
I think the perfect litmus test before voting is to ask yourself if you’d buy a used car from this person?
You don’t drown by falling in a river; you drown by staying there.
After seeing the movie “All The Way,” I came to realize that LBJ did more for black folks than Martin Luther King ever dreamed about. However, the black community never mentions him, or any of the white people who marched with him and were beaten and killed for doing so.
Ken LeMann: Those who know the most sometimes achieve the most, except when there is talent and creativity involved. The “Out Line” is everything, maybe. But, like humor, everything is subjective. Would you yell ‘cut’ after Charlie Chaplin deadpans to the camera or let it roll until he gets hit in the face with a pie? Would you cut after Ed McMahon delivers the best quip of his life or after Johnny Carson’s deadpan reaction? Cut after a dramatic response by the NCIS agent or after the slap to the back of the head by the other NCIS guy? Leave George Harrison’s Wah Wah song as is or add distortion to the whole thing? One opinion doesn’t mean it’s the only opinion. Especially if you know the others involved may be at least as creative and talented as you. (I Write The Wrongs)
Geo: Tough to make that deadpan look of Johnny Carson, work on the radio, Ken.
Bob DeCarlo: As a vital part of that Radio Magazine, at the start, we were kind of tentative, taking baby steps, but the injection of George Johns supercharged our attitudes and output. It became the best damn radio program I have ever been associated with, and it ended with the highest ratings that KOGO ever had. Thanks for the memories, George. BTW, I met Marty Milner on the set of a Telethon in Tampa. When I introduced myself, he said: “You’re the guy who Lee Mirabal talks about all the damn time.” (For The Good Times)
Now football is played on well-manicured grass and even expensive artificial grass. It has been a hundred years now since that first recorded football huddle. It happened first at Gallaudet University (then Paul’s impeccably timed pause….) For the deaf. (Gordon Zlot)
Geo: I still fondly remember those days, Don.
Doug Herman: Ed Shadek was a good guy and a real old-school gentleman. It turned out he had quite a few three-day weekends left; he was around 90 when he passed away a couple of years ago. (Who Ya Gonna Call?)
Geo: I agree, Doug, Ed was a gentleman who always lived up to his word.
Up North: My favorite part of this post was at the beginning when you wrote: “Before responding, I thought”. Most people don’t. (Legendary Status)
Geo’s Media Blog is an inside look at Radio, Music, Movies, and Life. For a sneak peek at some upcoming Blogs or to see some that you may have missed, go to Geo’s Media Blog @ GeorgeJohns.com. On Twitter @GeoOfTheRadio. Sharing and commenting is appreciated.
Jack Schell: I realize that the ratings chart available to one-and-all on the internet is 6+…but, all things considered, the listing may be worth a look-see. KLTY, very nice folks, is probably VERY happy to be at number 1. Bill G. and I trade comments now and then on all this, noting that your (“I’m also ashamed of the fact that the biggest of them all, KVIL in Dallas is not among them.”) comment is certainly well taken. But, hey, KVIL appears (on the Nielsen report) to be nestled at a solid 18th / 2.0 rating. Besides, there are about 30 to 40 calls that fall below 18th! Just don’t want you to be ASHAMED… it’s NOT your fault. Don’t be silly. (Guitar Man)
Geo: Wow, KVIL is like the song said Jack, “Right Back Where We Started From.”
Alexander Mair: Gordon Lightfoot and I were at the Buffalo concert too. The promoter was a pair called Harvey and Corky…Harvey Weinstein. (Guitar Man)
Geo: No doubt you guys had better seats than me, Al.
Paul Cavenaugh: Hey George, forgive me for disagreeing with you. As per Ken Leman’s comments regarding creativity, he’s right. Who says you can’t translate that deadpan look on the radio? Kenny did that every day, you just weren’t paying attention. (Guitar Man)
Geo: I think I said that it was tough, Paul. Ken LeMann and Bill Gardner were the best mid-day guys I’ve ever heard, and the reason was because they both did a lot of show prep.