HAPPY THANKSGIVING, DETROITERS!
Thursday, November 06, 2014
Holiday Shopping!
JUST IN TIME FOR HOLIDAY GIFT-GIVING!
Click any item below for more info
Click any item below for more info
EMBROIDERED APPAREL
(T-shirts, jackets, ballcaps)
(T-shirts, jackets, ballcaps)
THANK YOU!
Music 'Til Dawn vs. Nightflight 760
Recently I received a email from Les Martens regarding one of the memories that appears on the www.DetroitMemories.com webpage. It said:
Music Til Dawn sponsored by American Airlines was not on WJR but on WWJ. I was the host from 1956 to 1960. (Nightflight 760 was on WJR.)
I emailed Mr. Martens with a thank you, and he responded with this:
Eileen,
Confusion it is, and I long ago gave up spending time or energy to correct it, but I stumbled on your links and couldn’t resist. Congratulations on your Detroit sites. It was fun surfing, and clearly you’ve put in a lot of time and energy as webmaster.
FYI, here’s the 1.01 on Music Til Dawn. The program was the brainchild of C.R. Smith, founder of American Airlines, who worked late and could find no decent music (classical) late at night, pre-FM. (American was dominant in Detroit; the original Metro terminal was named for Smith.) Marketing people told him the demographics for classical music were limited, but he correctly intuited that the audience he wanted, professionals and educated upper middleclass, were the people travelling by air at that time, and they would fly his airline. He was right.
The show was set up originally in nine cities, each with a local host, in CBS O&O stations in the early 50’s. The CBS pattern was broken in Detroit when WJR wouldn’t come to terms on all night rates, so American Airlines’ ad agency made a deal with WWJ, which as the world’s first radio station, operated by the Detroit News, was not chopped liver.
A couple of years after I took over hosting in 1956, WJR started Nightflight 760, with a format of travelogue type info by Jay Roberts with related pop music. Memories later confused the two shows hopelessly.
Pre and postscripts on me may be in order, given your encyclopedic Detroit memories. At WWJ I moved on in the 60’s to daytime record shows, telephone talk shows and, finally, anchoring afternoon news and talk from 4 to 7pm, which expanded into their all news format after I finally got a law degree and started practicing. I did both for a few years. For 20 years I did the commentary on Detroit Symphony broadcasts.
Actually, I started at WJR. As a senior at Redford High in 1949-50, I was the last of the teenage emcees on Make Way For Youth with the Don Large Chorus on CBS. After me, they used a staff announcer; I was never sure if I was irreplaceable or the last straw.
Good luck with the Detroit Memories scene. You’re doing great work.
Regards,
Les Martens
----------------------------
EILEEN'S NOTE:
LISTEN to the Music Til Dawn Theme Song on YouTube
LISTEN to the Music Til Dawn Theme Song on YouTube
Vernors Ginger Ale
10 Reasons Vernors Ginger Ale Is The Best...
The Huffington Post | By Kate Abbey-Lambertz
"If you live in Michigan, you might have had one of these to drink in the last few weeks. But if you live anywhere else, you probably have no idea what Vernors is."
Read how everyone else is discovering what we've known for years!
Better Made makes a national mark
Better Made has been making potato chips in Detroit for 84 years,
but there's new momentum taking the company nationwide.
but there's new momentum taking the company nationwide.
The Los Angeles Times picked up on a new trend taking the snacks
to the next level. Michiganders who have moved away from home
still long for their old hometown chips.
to the next level. Michiganders who have moved away from home
still long for their old hometown chips.
READ AND SEE MORE
Detroit Street Racing, 1964
This priceless clip shows semi-organized drag racing
on the streets of
on the streets of
Detroit’s West Side in 1964.
Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through The Grapevine (A capella)
No need to adjust your volume...this awesome video takes a
minute to start and showcases the superb voice of one of
Motown's best artists, Marvin Gaye.
minute to start and showcases the superb voice of one of
Motown's best artists, Marvin Gaye.
Tiger Stadium replica to be built...
in Branson, Missouri
Developers plan to break ground this fall on a series of replica
Major League Baseball stadiums for Little Leaguers in the
southwest Missouri tourism mecca of Branson.
Major League Baseball stadiums for Little Leaguers in the
southwest Missouri tourism mecca of Branson.
Backers of the Ballparks of America project are banking on being able
to lure the growing number of youth traveling teams to the
two-thirds-scale versions of stadiums, including
Detroit's Tiger Stadium, which closed in 1999
and was torn down in 2008.
to lure the growing number of youth traveling teams to the
two-thirds-scale versions of stadiums, including
Detroit's Tiger Stadium, which closed in 1999
and was torn down in 2008.
READ MORE in The Detroit News
Rare Trio of Ford Family-Owned Lincolns
Owning a mint-condition Continental Mark II grants you some serious
Blue Oval brownie points. Owning one that originally belonged to a member of the Ford family – well, that’s something special.
But owning three Ford family-owned Mark II’s? Impossible.
Blue Oval brownie points. Owning one that originally belonged to a member of the Ford family – well, that’s something special.
But owning three Ford family-owned Mark II’s? Impossible.
READ MORE
Monday, October 06, 2014
Boblo boat Columbia shipped out of Detroit
SS Columbia 1967
Photo courtesy of Wayne State University
The SS Columbia, one of the beloved but battered Boblo boats, has left Detroit for what is likely the last time.
Shortly after 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, September 16th, the steamer left her longtime home in Ecorse, yanked away by tugs to Toledo. It is there that the nonprofit Columbia Project will lift the ship out of water, move it into drydock and get her shipshape again. Or at least shipshape enough to make the trek to New York state by next August.
The Columbia Project has spent years working on a plan to return the boat to service in the Hudson River Valley — and will spend some $10 million to $20 million to do it.
READ MORE:
http://www.freep.com/story/news/local/2014/09/16/boblo-boat-columbia-leaves-detroit/15732257/
Tour
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3tI-a3-sMo&list=UUt9jCImAP0uCEGxtJKNvbew
WANTED: Detroit home movies, images and artifacts from the '50s-'80s
Eileen,
I’m a the lead producer working on a new Detroit Public Television production called Detroit Remember When: Detroit’s Iconic Brands.
We’re looking for home movies, images and artifacts that show names and products of Detroit’s past, especially during the baby boomer years - the late 50s through the mid 1980s… Sanders, Vernors, Strohs, Buddy’s, Little Caesar’s, Velvet Peanut Butter - the list goes on and on.
There might be some brands you might be partial to that we’re forgetting!
Being this is television, we’re looking for the images that will bring back our collective memories.
And, we’re interested in hearing some interesting stories you might have about Detroit and the products you remember that were ‘our brands.'
The program will air early next year, but we will be wrapping up production in the next two months, so we’d really like to hear from anyone with stories to tell and hopefully have some pictures to go with it.
Thanks!
Bill Kubota
Producer, KDN Films for Detroit Public Television
THEY'RE BAAAAACK! Detroit Memories T-Shirts!
FRONT
Detroit Memories
Detroit Memories
BACK
You Know You're From Detroit If...
More than 350 memories of Detroit's people and places!
Sizes S, M, L, XL and 2XL
$20 eachplus shipping & handling
$22 each, plus shipping & handling, for size 2XL
Your choice of White or Heather Gray shirt
For more information and to purchase, go to:
Dr. Bruce Stratton
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
T H A N K Y O U !
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Learn how you can become a
Sponsor or Supporter
T H A N K Y O U !
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Learn how you can become a
Sponsor or Supporter
DETROIT'S OWN: Flamethrowers
FLAMETHROWERS
by Ron Bergman
Bruce Stratton and I met while at
junior high school in 1956. Bruce had recently moved into Royal Oak from
Detroit and, maybe this was fate, his new house came with an old Stella
acoustic guitar. Bruce quickly learned some basic cords and riffs. I borrowed the guitar for a short time, loved playing it and decided to get my own guitar, a Fender MusicMaster.
We learned to play many of the instrumental songs of the day and initially played as a duo for friends. Then we teamed up with Fritz Lyons on drums and started playing at parties, school dances and local teen clubs.
We started writing our own songs to enhance our song list. Several of them were well received by friends, so we decided to publish and record.
The Detroit record scene was booming at that time, with Motown as the leader and about a dozen of smaller studios attempting to compete. We auditioned at Clix Records, in Troy, Michigan, and signed a record contract on August 27, 1960.
Our first record included "The Knights Caper" (the high school teams were the Kimball Knights) and "Suzette" (named after three girls named Susan who lived on the same street as Bruce) and was released on October 17, 1960. The record sold fairly well locally, but were not distributed beyond the local area; however, Suzette and The Knights Caper received a three (out of four) star pick in Billboard magazine.
The highlight of our career was a performance at the first teen dance at Detroit’s Cobo Hall with WQTE-AM radio's Tom Clay. Also on the bill was Johnny & the Hurricanes and Jack Scott. WQTE referred to it as the battle of the bands, Detroit's Flamethrowers against Toledo's Johnny & the Hurricanes. WQTE had played "Suzette" multiple times prior to the Cobo Hall dance and WJBK featured it on their "Project X" where they introduced new music. The songs received airplay on WXYZ radio when we were appearing at free dances with DJ Don Zee (his tag line was “2 E’s if you please”). It was also played on WEXL during the "Our School Roundup" show.
Fritz was primarily a marching band drummer and did not have a full rock band drum set, so Bruce and Ron began looking for a rock band drummer. They not only located a drummer, Lowery Day, but also a bass guitar player, Paul Hinderer. These additions gave the group a fuller, more intense sound.
With this new sound, we decided to return to the recording studio. The second record featured "Intensity" and "Wippy Wow" and was recorded at Clix records on November 26, 1960. Clix records was primarily a country music label and the Flamethrowers rock and roll didn't sell well with the dealers that normally marketed Clix. As a result, Clix decided not to market the second record.
We decided to create our own label, Bel-Mar, and found a local company to press a small number of copies. The record was released on February 20, 1961 and sold only through local dealers.
The Flamethrowers disbanded when Bruce and Ron graduated from Royal Oak's Kimball High School in June 1961.
We learned to play many of the instrumental songs of the day and initially played as a duo for friends. Then we teamed up with Fritz Lyons on drums and started playing at parties, school dances and local teen clubs.
We started writing our own songs to enhance our song list. Several of them were well received by friends, so we decided to publish and record.
The Detroit record scene was booming at that time, with Motown as the leader and about a dozen of smaller studios attempting to compete. We auditioned at Clix Records, in Troy, Michigan, and signed a record contract on August 27, 1960.
Our first record included "The Knights Caper" (the high school teams were the Kimball Knights) and "Suzette" (named after three girls named Susan who lived on the same street as Bruce) and was released on October 17, 1960. The record sold fairly well locally, but were not distributed beyond the local area; however, Suzette and The Knights Caper received a three (out of four) star pick in Billboard magazine.
The highlight of our career was a performance at the first teen dance at Detroit’s Cobo Hall with WQTE-AM radio's Tom Clay. Also on the bill was Johnny & the Hurricanes and Jack Scott. WQTE referred to it as the battle of the bands, Detroit's Flamethrowers against Toledo's Johnny & the Hurricanes. WQTE had played "Suzette" multiple times prior to the Cobo Hall dance and WJBK featured it on their "Project X" where they introduced new music. The songs received airplay on WXYZ radio when we were appearing at free dances with DJ Don Zee (his tag line was “2 E’s if you please”). It was also played on WEXL during the "Our School Roundup" show.
Fritz was primarily a marching band drummer and did not have a full rock band drum set, so Bruce and Ron began looking for a rock band drummer. They not only located a drummer, Lowery Day, but also a bass guitar player, Paul Hinderer. These additions gave the group a fuller, more intense sound.
With this new sound, we decided to return to the recording studio. The second record featured "Intensity" and "Wippy Wow" and was recorded at Clix records on November 26, 1960. Clix records was primarily a country music label and the Flamethrowers rock and roll didn't sell well with the dealers that normally marketed Clix. As a result, Clix decided not to market the second record.
We decided to create our own label, Bel-Mar, and found a local company to press a small number of copies. The record was released on February 20, 1961 and sold only through local dealers.
The Flamethrowers disbanded when Bruce and Ron graduated from Royal Oak's Kimball High School in June 1961.
_____________
UPDATE: Bruce's goal was
to start a career in broadcasting. He completed his military service
in the US Army and then went on to a very successful career in radio, including stints on Detroit Radio WEXL, WQRS, WOAK. He returned to the recording studio in 1987 and had a big hit on Sun Records with "Haunted House" and "Shake Em Up and Let Em
Roll." Bruce retired from the broadcast business and is now living in Corpus Christi, Texas.
After graduating from college, Ron had a long career as an electrical and firmware development engineer for computer peripheral equipment. Recently retired and living in Maui, Hawaii, he now has some free time to play guitar and is attempting to re-learn all the old songs.
After graduating from college, Ron had a long career as an electrical and firmware development engineer for computer peripheral equipment. Recently retired and living in Maui, Hawaii, he now has some free time to play guitar and is attempting to re-learn all the old songs.
A LIFE REMEMBERED
BERNIE YESZIN
The Detroiter who created it, former Motown art director Bernie Yeszin, died Tuesday, July 8, in Culver City, Calif. He was 73.
READ MORE:
http://www.udiscovermusic.com/man-created-motown-m-passes-away
Bernie Yeszin Discography
http://www.discogs.com/artist/1845461-Bernard-Yeszin?page=1
Detroit Matchbook Cover Memories
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Click photo to enlarge
Eileen-
Going through my Cub Scout Scrapbook, Pack 11, Royal Oak (1961-ish), I had to collect something and since everybody in the family smoked, I went for matchbook covers. I've scanned one page of some of the better ones and attached the file in case you want to include them in a Newsletter.
Keep up the good work!
Dave Morey
Dondery HS, 1969
Dondery HS, 1969
VIDEO DOCUMENTARY:
The Great Detroit:
It Was - It Is - It Will Be
It Was - It Is - It Will Be
Eileen,
I'm a film maker based in Detroit and have produced a documentary that examines our city from a positive perspective, "The Great Detroit: It Was - It Is - It Will Be.
My film includes 55 interviews and covers a little of everything, from how and why the city was founded, to why it became a manufacturing powerhouse, to Henry Ford's first plant, to the migration of people from the South to work in the plants, to the history of Motown and Techno to the plans for a brighter future. The film will entertain, enlighten and inspire.
It's available on Amazon for $10 plus shipping and handing.
Thank you.
Anthony Brogdon
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