One of the Beach Boys told me it was the biggest talent show hed ever been in!. The Big Bam shows in Montgomery were on my list," said Jack Boles. From Sell it to the tourists: "I saw an amazing Harry Chapin show at the BJCC Concert Hall in around 1978? Bob was producing a medical documentary in Alabama, and also was a promoter for Evil Kneival and Chill Wills. Dislike Share. Cyril's wife Louise would make us outfits for the Shower of Stars, and we'd have on these big bell bottoms. It will be the first time theyve have been together since a reunion benefit at a local club in 2007. Id never seen anybody get an audience so excited, Dan Brennan remembered. In 1964 the Brennans Jacksonville, Florida station, WAPE, hosted the Beatles in concert at the Gator Bowl (see sidebar below). "His 'side' men was the entire Little Feat rhythm section. Montgomery resident Mike Vickery remembers getting a friends mother to drive him and others to the WBAM station to get tickets as soon as they went on sale so we could get them near the front on the floor. On one occasion, he accompanied some female friends to the Diplomat Inn where they spotted Lou Christie sitting by the pool, a secret one of them has never told her mother to this day.. This was the last concert they did before going back to LA and joining the band Fleetwood Mac. The WVOK Shower of Stars was a series of concerts sponsored by WVOK-AM at the Birmingham Armory and later at Birmingham's Municipal Auditorium.Program director Dan Brennan organized the shows, which gained national notice.. Concerts. Brennan's memories of the showsare less starry-eyed and more businesslike, as befitsthe man who booked the acts, paid the bills and tallied the proceeds. Formed: 1966, Tallassee. Both stations played Top 40 hits of the day, and the concerts were the Brennans gifts to a loyal radio audience. Later acts included the Beach Boys, the Animals, the Dave Clark Five, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Tommy James and the Shondells and the perennial Montgomery favorite, Lou Christie. Hisconcertseries rocked their worlds and shaped their music tastes, in tandem with WVOK. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and the broadcast license is held by Cumulus Licensing LLC. Go to the Archives And if we hadn't had (Hurricane Dora), we would have made a lot of money. Office Phone: (334) 244-0961 Office Fax: (334) 279-9563 Rick Peters - President / General Manager Jennifer Pestrichelli - Director of Sales Jay Scott - Operations Manager Shelby Ingram - Promotions Director big bam shows montgomery, alabamasmart search field in safari. I only have these pictures of all the concerts we attended from the early 1960's to late 1960's. This one in 1969, was probably the last one I attended. In 2020, the median property value in Montgomery, AL was $121,100, and the homeownership rate was 54.1%. HOW COME PAUL GODDARD PUSHES HIS GLASSES UP THE BRIDGE OF HIS NOSE? Johnny Cash. Roy Orbison. In the spring of 1968, we played the Big Bam Spring show in Montgomery and were seen by a producer from Hollywood named Bob Hinkle. ", From shapeshiftinhmojo: "The Allman Brothers played at the National Guard Armory as both the Almond Joys and as the Allman Brothers in the 1960's as well as Tuscaloosa in the seventies when they were huge. Deep South was incorporated in late July of 1950 with a capitalization of $60,000. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. The Beatles in Alabama? Go to the Archives Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. ", From rtrmark: "Alice Cooper. by Lenore Vickrey If you were a teenager in south-central Alabama in the 1960s, chances are you danced the jerk, flirted with that cute boy, or made out in the corner of the high school gym to the music of a live band of local erstwhile musicians. And the Shower of Stars concerts still linger in localmemory. Butspeaking in general terms, each also hada specialty: Bill the visionaryentrepreneur, Cyril the tech-mindedpioneer, Dan the key concert producer and a smooth, recognizable voice at WVOK. Neither Tommy Shaw nor Beth Nielsen Chapman will be on hand due to their schedules. Many of the artists told me these were the biggest shows theyd ever done.. Paul Revere & the Raiders. The early concert didn't begin until it was time for the second one, but it was worth the wait. Birmingham on May 20, 1967. Yet there was also a gentler side of the city that is rarely revealed within the pages of history texts. Saturday, April 8, 1967 Garrett Coliseum, Montgomery, AL Blues Magoos Brian Hyland Lou Christie The Buckinghams The Casinos The Electric Prunes The Royal Guardsmen The Turtles The concertlater gained a secure foothold in Alabamamusic history -- fans here still ooh and aah about it -- but it wasn't a money-making proposition. This might have swelled a lesser man's head, but for Brennan, it was all about connecting with the listeners. That one was epic alright, unlike any other! The original investors in the company were William J. ); Lynyrd Skynyrd and Black Oak Arkansas, Rickwood Field (1975); Pink Floyd, Legion Field (1994); Peter Frampton and Robin Trower, Oak Mountain (1994); Rolling Stones, Legion Field (1994); Bruce Springsteen, BJCC, 2002; and, James Brown, Jubilee CityFest Montgomery (2003). Mountain 1971," said Billy Bromberg. by Lenore Reese Vickrey: photos by the Brennan Family, Lenore Vickrey, As the arena began to fill up, you could hear the noise of the crowd from backstage. The . Prattville, Alabama 36066 (334) 358-9460 View Weekly Ad Hours Store Services Full Furniture with Mattresses Furniture Leasing Furniture Delivery Milk, Eggs & Grocery Featured Be a Backyard Bigionaire! Anybody else remember seeing Joplin in Tuscaloosa? She remembers her father's words with startling clarity, along with the thrill she experiencedwhile sitting in the front row. But Lewis went over his allotted time. Show Hide article text (OCR) Categories . porsche cayman 987 bodykit; efficiencies for rent in riverview, fl. Anotherbrother, Bill Brennan, was the undisputed chief of the Jacksonville station, and had houses in Montgomery and Jacksonville. ", From Art Meripol: "U2's Zoo Tour at Legion was pretty fun from the floor.". How many people have been able to say this at a concert, facing a roaring crowd? "We started in 1947, and if you think about it, you didn't have very much television in those days," Brennan says in a recent interview. Keith Richards was almost electrocuted when his guitar grounded on a mic. "There was a little one, and a big one, and we didn't know which was which," Brennan says. Grier continued to sing with trios and orchestras, performing at wedding receptions and private parties. One show in particular stands out. Then another. A close second would be Yes at the Concert Hall in 2013. Best Review Site for Digital Cameras. But from the . Canned Heat. The Four Seasons. . Big Bam All-Star Spring Show Setlists Apr 8 1967 Date Saturday, April 8, 1967 Venue Garrett Coliseum, Montgomery, AL, USA So far there are setlists of 9 gigs Saturday, April 8, 1967 Garrett Coliseum, Montgomery, AL Blues Magoos Brian Hyland Lou Christie The Buckinghams The Casinos The Electric Prunes The Royal Guardsmen The Turtles Capital Cool. The Troggs. From what we can tell, she appeared there in 1970, but the story mentions Dec. 3, 1970, as the date of her show. $14 million dollar house maine; "I'm also a little partial to Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard, Jerry Reed, Johnny Paycheck, when they played at Old York Farms in the late '90s," said Jeremy Don McCollough. The detailed map shows the US state of Alabama with boundaries, the location of the state capital Montgomery, major cities and populated places, rivers and lakes, interstate highways, principal highways, railroads and major airports. My personal favorite concert of all times was Billy Joel at the BJCC Concert Hall. (Photo courtesy of the Brennan family). At this point, Mick Jagger and his pals were poised to release"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," their first international smash. Gobs of people have asked us when were going to do another reunion. The Who. If possible, the Brennans liked to present the same lineup of artists in all three cities over a single weekend, offering three shows in Birmingham for the Shower of Stars, one in Montgomery for the Big BAM and one in Jacksonville for the Big APE. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. And didn't ever explain to the people what had happened. "It was cold outside, show was to begin at 6 but began at 9; coeds from T-town waited for 2nd show which was to begin at 9 but began at about 2 next morning, had to get permission to stay in those days and freeze outside at Auburn University Coliseum. Local garage bands (they practiced in their parents garages or living rooms) were found in almost every town in the United States in the mid-to late 60s, and the Montgomery area was no exception. Bobby Goldsboro was having a nice run of hits in the mid-'60s when suddenly, with the release of a song called "Honey" in 1968, he became a major star. Sweet Young Uns Alicia McLeod - Vocals. The venue? The station is locally owned and operated by Bluewater Broadcasting Company, LLC. WBAM Big Bam Shows; Dan's Dusty Discs WBAM; WBAM Pictures; Read more about this topic: WBAM-FM, History. Famous quotes containing the words historical and/or videos: The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. We'll have to ask him. Notable TV and Radio personality Jimmy Carter (from Montgomery, Alabama) has assembled a few videos featuring some photos, jingles, and air checks of WBAM in its heyday. Brennan estimates that 16,000-17,000 people came to Legion Field for the show, fulfilling the radio station's mission but falling short of blockbuster status. 1984 at the BJCC. If you were a teenager in south-central Alabama in the 1960s, chances are you danced the jerk, flirted with that cute boy, or made out in the corner of the high school gym to the music of a live band of local erstwhile musicians. "Put You Down" was written by lead guitarist Max Kendrick and vocalist Rich Gainer. ", Buy newspaper front pages, posters and more. We occasionally wouldn't fill all three seatings in Birmingham, but I don't think we ever had one that was less than about 70 percent full, with all three together. Members: Mitch Alton (original member), Gregg Pappas, Ham Wilson, Bill Marshall , Dwight Williams, Rick Byrd, Orville Cain, Carl Tesh. In the 1960's WVOK, in Birmingham Alabama, would have the top bands play at one huge concert. "I remember the Rolling Stones came up to me, and they said, 'You don't really expect us to get into the same RV that the Beach Boys are in, do you?' said donnna. There was this woman who was playing the bongos who literally passed out playing. "I didn't stay up there too long," Brennan says, laughing. Patsy Cline. When Peter Noone left Hermans Hermits in 1971, Hermits drummer Barry Whitwam keep going, and today continues to lead his own Hermans Hermits band (as does Noone performing as Hermans Hermits starring Peter Noone). WVOK is now all-sports. shimano ep8 630wh battery range Oh, and some guy named David on slide. The capsule was opened during a ceremony December 3, but a complete list of its contents were not released at the time. From Denniswingo: "Was there! The Rockin' Gibraltars, Montgomery, 1960s. I said, 'Well, this is Roy's show. Each episode had a specific theme, mission, or challenge which was accomplished by performing pranks, skateboarding, and enlisting the help of . We would always find the artists who were very popular with our audience, and we would try to get them, and we usually were successful.". It gave them a voice. December 24, 1958: Jerry Lee Lewis ; December 12, 1959: Fabian, The Fleetwoods, The Browns, Floyd Robinson and Bobby Lee Trammell The station's transmitter is located in the town of Grady, Alabama. ", All three Brennan brothers were ambitious businessmen who worked as a team.