WRCO Blog

Singer songwriter Sammy Johns died recently.  I had the pleasure of interviewing him for Those Were The Days about ten years ago.  His song Chevy Van really captured the 70's sound and the dream of care free highways and care free love!  Here is the story that was sent by the Associated Press this week.

Phil

"CHEVY VAN" SINGER SAMMY JOHNS DIES
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - The singer-songwriter who made "Chevy Van" a hit in 1975 has died. The Charlotte Observer reports Sammy Johns died Friday at the age of 66. A cause of death was not given. Johns recorded "Chevy Van" in 1973 but it was nearly 18 months later before it was released. It peaked at number five and sold more than 3 million copies. Johns had said the song wasn't about a specific woman. Johns never had another hit of his own, but he wrote "America" for Waylon Jennings and "Common Man" for John Conlee.

The Packers will play this Saturday night.  This really reminds me of my athletic career.  With the big game going on, I am on the bench with nothing to do except cheer on the team.   Those Were The Days will be postponed because of Packer coverage this week.  We have some really great shows to bring you in 2013.  If the Packers win this week, they will play a week from Sunday.  That means the new season for Those Were The Days will start next Saturday.  With all of this energy from having a couple of weeks on the sidelines, I could get out of control next week!  Tune in WRCO FM 100.9 for all of the fun during future Saturday nights.

Phil

Since the Packers did not get the second seed in the NFL playoffs, they have to play this weekend and the FOX network has the rematch with the Vikings slated for Saturday night at 7 pm.  This added insult to injury for me this week.  Not only is it a chilly week at my house after the Bears did not make the playoffs (my wife and kids are die hard Bear fans!), but I was looking forward to sharing with you a few of my Christmas presents on Those Were The Days. The Packers will be heard this Saturday night on WRCO FM 100.9.  If they are going to take the place of my show, they had better win!  Go Pack Go! 

Phil

On this Saturday nights Those Were The Days radio program, we will be spinning back to the year end countdown from 1972!  There were many great hits during that year in popular music.  Some that we still play often and some other gems that have slipped through the cracks over the years.  Hear some of our '72 memories on this weekends show between 6 pm and Midnight on Saturday night.  The top charting artists according to Billboard magazine were: 1. Al Green 2. Nilsson 3.  Donny Osmond 4.  The Stylistics  5. James Brown 6.  Michael Jackson  7.  Bread  8.  Gilbert O' Sullivan 9.  Carpenters  10.  America.

The request line will be open. Feel free to request a great song from the 50's through the 80's.  The trivia quiz will give you a chance to have some fun and win a prize.

I will talk to you Saturday night.

Phil (TWTD Host)

Hey Rock And Rollers!  This Saturday night on the crazy program we call 'Those Were The Days', we will be spinning back to the year of 1982.  We will play for you some of the top songs of the year.  It was a very good year for music with hits from leftover 70's groups,  MTV hits,  Country, and much more.  It is one of my favorite years for music and I hope you enjoy it.  We will also be playing some of the most requested Rock And Roll Christmas tunes on this weeks show which begins a little after 6:00 on Saturday night.

Merry Christmas!

Phil

We will rock and roll back to the mid-70's on Those Were The Days this Saturday night.  Enjoy great rock and roll from many artists that are associated with the 70's.  Get your Elevator Shoes on and dance along with the tunes between 6 p and Midnight this week on 100.9.  We will be taking your requests and playing a few of your favorite rockin' Christmas songs.

Thanks for all of the great coments on our Vilas Craig and the Garage Bands show that aired this past Saturday night.  It was fun putting it all together.  In case you missed it,  The Shadows Of Knight were voted the top garage band by the readers of Kent Kotal's Forgotten Hits website.  Their song Gloria is a staple  amoung rock and roll greats of the 60s.

We will talk with you Saturday night!

Phil-Those Were The Days WRCO FM 100.9

On this Saturday nights Those Were The Days we will feature more local, regional, and garage rock from the 60's than ever before.  Between 6:00 and 8:00 you can hear the Vilas Craig And the ViCounts story.  Portions of this segment ran back in 2004 and we have had many requests since than to bring it back.

The rest of the night will be devoted to 60's Garage Rock.  Courtesy of the Forgotten60sHits.com web site.  Over 9,000 votes were counted and from that tally we will count down the 40 best garage bands.  Hear great tunes from the likes of The New Colony Six,  Paul Revere And the Raiders,  Tommy James And the Shondells,  The Robbs,  Kingsmen,  Question Mark & The Mysterians,  Love,  The Standells,  Ides Of March,  Shadows of Knight, and many more.  Join the fun Saturday night on WRCO FM 100.9.  You will hear some wild, rare, rockin', stuff.

Phil-TWTD Host

On this Saturday nights show, we will return to those younger days when a group of locals could cut a silly song in the garage.  A few days later it might be  playing everywhere in the country.  This was the story of the Royal Guardsmen who hit with Snoopy Vs. The Red Barron and Snoopys Christmas.  Barry Winslow of the group will recap the story of those Snoopy songs.  We will be taking your requests and playing trivia on Those Were The Days this Saturday night.  Join the gang from all around Southwest Wisconsin that will be checking in with their favorite songs.

I hope to talk with you Saturday night.

Phil- WRCO FM 100.9

This Saturday night on WRCOs' Those Were The Days, we will go back to one of my favorite years of music.  Nineteen Hundred and Seventy-Three was a great year for music.  My all time favorite music year is 1967, however, 1973 is a close second.  There was so much variety of music on the charts and this weekend we will share with you a slice of the Billboard Music Survey.  As you enjoy one last cold turkey sandwich, you will be able to enjoy tunes from the 1950's through the 1980's.  Give me a call during this holiday weekend and request a favorite.  I love it when someone trys to stump me!

Phil

Those Were The Days

100.9 FM

This week on WRCOs' Those Were The Days we will feature a few of the hits of Gerry And The Pacemakers.  They were solid hit makers for a couple of years in the 60's and were managed by Beatles manager Brian Epstein.  They are known best for a few ballads, however, they could play some rockers.  The solid gold request line will be wide open for 6 hours worth of requests and the 'Magic Cow Bell' will ring to signal trivia time this Saturday night.  I hope that you will join the party on WRCO Fm 100.9.

Phil

Hey Rock And Rollers!  I hope that you will tune in for some of the big hits of 1974 on this Saturday nights Those Were The Days.  Hear behind the scenes stories about songs from Neil Sedaka,  the Raspberries,  and Bachman Turner Overdrive.  It was a great time for pop radio.  I remember taping songs off the radio.  It was tough to start taping when the dj stopped talking and before the singing began.  I still have a few of those tapes today.  It is true that I collect alot of junk, however, it just relates to music and I don't think they will be making a reality show out of me. 

Hear the best of the 50's, 60's, 70's, and 80's on WRCO FM 100.9 Saturday night from 6 until Midnight.  We will be playing our quiz games and spinning your requests.  I can't wait for another dose of Saturday night!

Phil

This Saturday night on WRCO FM 100.9 we will return to our normal schedule after a couple of weeks with shorter request time. Those Were The Days will feature 6 hours of great old rock and roll hits and we will stop for a time in 1968.  There were some terrific tunes that were big on the charts and we will remember some of those golden goodies on this weekends show.  Join us for trivia every time you hear the 'Magic Cow Bell' ring.   So sit back and relax, steal the last of the kids Halloween candy, and tune in WRCO FM Saturday night.  You will hear some rock and roll radio fun.  I guarantee it!

Phil

Hey Rock And Rollers !!!  Join me this week for some of the biggest rock and roll songs from the Autumn seasons of days gone by.  Hear the Four Seasons,  O'Jays, Naked Eyes, and many more groups that were having hits.  Join us before Sectional Championship Volleyball and after the match as well.  We will take requests later on in the night.  Thanks for sticking with us last week.  We received lots of calls from folks that were requesting great tunes during the last two hours of the show.  I will talk to you Saturday night and I will play for you some of the greatest pop hits of all time!

Phil

Southern Rock has long been a popular genre of music and this Saturday night Those Were The Days will feature some of the best.  Ultimate Classic Rock recently came out with its Top 10 best Southern Rock songs of all time and we will count them down for you.  You may be surprised by the number one song on the list. There are a few standards that did not make the top 10. There is even a British band with a song in the Southern Rock Top 10!  I will be broadcasting volleyball  this Saturday night.   I will be back later in the night to play your rock and roll requests!  Please give me a call Saturday night. 

On October 12th Those Were The Days was officially 26 years old.  Thanks for all of the musical memories!  I would like to say that we have grown up together, however, I don't feel like I have grown up yet!

Phil Nee 

Southern Rock has long been a popular genre of music and this Saturday night Those Were The Days will feature some of the best.  Ultimate Classic Rock recently came out with its Top 10 best Southern Rock songs of all time and we will count them down for you.  You may be surprised by the number one song on the list. There are a few standards that did not make the top 10. There is even a British band with a song in the Southern Rock Top 10!  I will be broadcasting volleyball  this Saturday night.   I will be back later in the night to play your rock and roll requests!  Please give me a call Saturday night. 

On October 12th Those Were The Days was officially 26 years old.  Thanks for all of the musical memories!  I would like to say that we have grown up together, however, I don't feel like I have grown up yet!

Phil Nee 

On this Saturday nights Those Were The Days, hear my conversation with Paul Evans.  He was the writer and performer on several big hits in the 50's and 60's.  Those songs include:  Seven Little Girls, and Happy Go Lucky along with hits for Elvis (I Gotta Know),  and Bobby Vinton (Roses Are Red).  He was a writer when rock and roll was young and he has a lot of tales about those days. 

Join WRCO FM 100.9 for Those Were The Days on Saturday night after CBS news at 6:00 pm and until 12 midnight.  Request a pop hit from the 50's through the 80's and I will see if I can dig it up for you.  Several tried and failed to stump me last Saturday night.  It is always great to hear from so many that enjoy the variety of music that we play.  It is fun to imagine what is going on out there in radio land and who is listening.  Last week we heard from an Elvis impersonator who was traveling through the area.  Two weeks back a couple called us for a song on their wedding night!    I love radio very much, however, I don't remember listening to the radio the night I got married. 

I hope to hear from you on Saturday night.

Phil

This week on Those Were The Days, we will feature some of the top songs from this weekend in 1966.  There was a lot happening as music was changing that Fall.  Groups like the Association were having great success with beautiful melodies, the Monkees were first on tv and even out sold the Beatles late in the year.  Motown groups were all the rage and harder edged 'garage rock' was hitting the mainstream.  Enjoy the hits from this weekend in 1966 Saturday night on WRCOs' Those Were The Days. 

Enjoy the greatest pop radio memories from the 50's through the 80's.  Those Were The Days features a great soundtrack for campfires!  Maybe you will win a trivia prize.  I hope to hear from you Saturday night.

Phil

This week on WRCOs'Those Were The Days, KC of KC And The Sunshine Band will be my phone guest.  Although I have been blessed with the chance to interview hundreds of artists from the 50's through the 80's, the chance to have Harry Wayne Casey (KC) as a guest has never happened before.  Did you know?.....KC was a co-writer of George McCrae's number one hit 'Rock Your Baby' a year before the Sunshine Band hit it big...The Sunshine Band was the first act to score four # 1 pop hits in one 12 month period....KC's music has been featured in over 75 movies.

Have a disco good time Saturday night and request a song from our always expanding library of vintage tracks.  Those Were The Days on WRCO FM 100.9 can be heard from 6 p to Midnight.

Thanks for listening!

Disco Daddy Phil Nee

I have really enjoyed all of the great Saturday night requests recently.  There has been a great variety of music from all eras.  Thanks for the thoughtful dedications.  It is always fun when I get asked to play a song that has never been played on the show.  This seems to happen every week.  Join us for more Those Were The Days on WRCO FM 100.9 from 6:00 p - Midnight on Saturday night.

Phil

This week on Those Were The Days we will hang out for a time during a weekend in 1982. I will be back to take your favorite rock n' roll radio requests from the 50's through the 80's. The 'magic cow bell' will ring when it's trivia time. I can't wait to dig out more vinyl memories for you during this Saturday nights edition of Those Were The Days on WRCO FM 100.9 !

Phil