BIRMINGHAM RECORD COLLECTORS
DEDICATED TO THE COLLECTING OF MUSIC, ITS PRESERVATION AND LASTING FRIENDSHIP
THIS MONTH’S MEETING WILL BE THE SECOND SUNDAY, JULY 12TH 2:00 PM
HOMEWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY 1721 OXMOOR RD BIRMINGHAM, AL 35209
NEXT MONTH’S MEETING WILL BE HELD THE FIRST SUNDAY, AUGUST 2ND AT 2:00 PM
HOMEWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY 1721 OXMOOR RD BIRMINGHAM, AL 35209
THIS MONTH’S MEETING
We will be putting address labels and postage stamps on postcards at this month’s meeting. This is one of our most important ways of advertising we have. Over 2,000 postcards being sent out to let previous attendees know that it is time for our record show again. We need all the help we can get to this project done. Drop by and help out. And don’t forget as noted above, our August meeting will be the FIRST Sunday, August 2.
1970s “COUNTRY CROSSOVER” AND “REVERSE CROSSOVER”
After last month’s newsletter about 1950’s-60’s country hits that crossed overed to the pop charts I heard from one of our readers who had some memories of being a part of country crossovers in the 1970’s. He played a role in playing those crossovers on the radio and how it really changed radio in the Northeast. I asked him to write something about those days and he was eager to do so. So here we have a ‘memoir’ from someone who actually spun the tunes. His name is Ed Salamon and I think you will enjoy what he writes about.
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In the 1970s there was a “reverse crossover” of Top 40 hits onto Country radio and a golden age of Country hits crossing over to Top 40. I had a front row seat.
Crossover records are usually determined by comparing Billboard’s Hot 100 charts with Billboard’s Country charts. Those are national charts which in the 1970s combined the results of local airplay and sales since both radio and record sales are local, not national, it was in local markets where crossover actually happened
My first gold record as a Country Program Director was in 1974 for “The Steak” by Ray Stevens, which I played from an acetate dub before any records were pressed. Ray had successfully straddled both the Country and Top 40 charts in that decade. I had played his previous million seller “Everything Is Beautiful” as Music Director of KDKA, perennially Pittsburgh’s top rated radio station. I was hired at KDKA in 1970 in the new position of Director/Marketing Research. All Westinghouse stations were doing call out research about the buying habits of their audience. I felt that the same technique could be used to test music. After a couple years at the station, the Music Director left abruptly. I offered to do that job, in addition to my own, for the same salary. KDKA was music until 5:00 pm, largely following the Adult Contemporary charts, followed by news and talk. The station was concerned that its audience was getting older. While I was Music Director, we added Top 40 hits not on the AC chart, which I thought would fit. The audience became younger and in 1973, Pittsburgh’s Country Music station, WEEP AM/FM hired me as program director hoping I could achieve the same result for the same. In addition to the top Country hits, I added Top 40 hits which I thought WEEP’s audience would accept as Country music. I played Eagles “Already Gone,” “Best Of My Love” and “One Of These Nights”, as new records. None of them charted on Billboard’s Country Chart. Likewise, Olivia Newton-John’s “If Not For You” did not make the Country charts and John Denver’s million selling singles “Take Me Home Country Roads ” and “Sunshine On My Shoulders, which we played as pure gold at WEEP were only mid-charts on the national Country charts. Both Newton-John and Denver went on to become Country superstars. In 1974 Country Whitaker Billy “Crash “Craddock, who had been successful recording Country versions of Top 40 hits himself crossed over to Country with an original song “Rub It In.”
In June 1975 I was hired as Program Director of New York City’s first Country station, WHN. It had three Program Directors since going Country in 1973, but what others saw as an impossible task I saw an opportunity of a lifetime.
In addition to the Eagles, some of the Top 40 hits in WHN’s gold rotation included Michael Murphy (“Wildfire”) B. J. Thomas (“I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry”, & “Raindrop Keep Falling On My Head”) and Tom Jones (“Green Green Grass Of Home” & ” Without Love”) while never making the national Country charts, paved the way for later Country careers for these artists. I also programmed Brenda Lee’s 50s and early 60s hits in WHN oldies rotation and as well as Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley Top 40 hits that had not made the Country charts and those artists had Country hits during my time at WHN.
By the time I added “Lyin’ Eyes” by Eagles that year, other Country stations were ready to follow and that song became their first Country hit, followed by “New Kid In Town” and “Seven Bridges Road”. WHN played their previous Top 40 hits in our “gold” rotation. Like many stations we monitored record sales in shops who felt they knew what Country buyers were purchasing but we also hired former Gallup Organization employees to do call-out research. We felt empowered by call-out to add new and unproven records, because we could tell quickly whether they were accepted by our listeners or not.
WHN hits like Poco’s “Crazy Love” (1979) and “Heart Of The Night”, Tommy James “Three Times In Love” (1980) as well as Robert Gordon’s “It’s Only Make Believe” (1979) and “Walk On By” (1979) only made the bottom of the Country chart, likely only on the basis of their WHN success.
More successful reverse crossover hits played on WHN included Gordon Lightfoot’s “Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgeald” (1976), George Baker Selection “La Paloma Blanca” (1976), and Frank Mills “Music Box Dancer” (1979). All three of these reached the middle to the Billboard Hot Country Singles Chart, indicating that more Country stations in addition to WHN played them.
In the mid-seventies a group of Country music industry folks in Nashville formed The Association of Country Entertainers (ACE). They complained to the Country Music Association and others that WHN should no longer be considered a Country music station because it played music that, in their mind, was not Country. Barbara Mandrell was a chief spokesperson. But something amazing happened, which caused those same Nashville industry folks to value WHN.
The most influential Top 40 station in the world in the mid-70s was WABC. It was also the top-rated station in New York City, which, being the largest market in America, resulted in it being the nation’s #1 station. At a time when most radio stations chose music based on what they thought their listeners would like to hear, WABC Program Director Rick Sklar based his decisions heavily on what records to add which were already selling in the New York market.
WHN soon became second to WABC in the demographic most desired at that time by advertisers and adults 25-54. And WHN listeners bought records. When Rick saw a record that WHN played was selling, he added it to WABC because WABC was the biggest Top 40 radio station in the world. Many other Top 40 radio stations followed.
During this period WABC played many records first heard in the New York market on WHN, including Glen Cambell’s “Rhinestone Cowboy” (1975) and “Southern Nights” (1977), Kenny Rogers’ “Lucille” (1977) and “The Gambler” (1978) and Anne Murray’s “You Needed Me” (1978)
This influence resulted in the first Top 40 hits for Country artists, most of whom were not even trying to make crossover music. WABC played Freddy Fender “Before The Next Teardrop Falls” (1975) , “I’m Not Lisa” by Jesi Colter (1975), Waylon and Willie “Luckenbach Texas” (1977) Crystal Gayle’s “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” (1977) and “Half The Way” (1979,), Eddie Rabbitt’s “Every Which Way But Loose” (1977) and his “Drivin’ My Life Away” (1980) as well as Micke Gilley’s “Stand By Me” (1980), Johnny Lee’s “Lookin’ For Love” (1980) and Juice Newton’s “Angel Of The Morning” (1981) .Juice Newton’s follow up “ Queen Of Hearts “ (1981) was also played on WABC. WABC played Dolly Partons “Here You Come Again” (1977) “Nine To Five” in 1981 and her duet with Kenny Rogers “Islands In The Stream” (1981).
As a result, these Country artists sold many more records than airplay on Country radio alone would have provided.
Million sellers including “Let Your Love Flow” by The Bellamy Brothers (1976), “You Light Up My Life” by Deby Boone (1977), “The King Is Gone” by Ronnie McDowell (1977), “It’s A Heartache” by Bonnie Tyler (1977) and “Telephone Man” by “Meri Wilson (1977) were the first hits by those artists, so it is hard to say whether they crossed from Country to Top 40 or vice versa. Not so in New York where all of these records were played first by WHN. (I received Gold Records for all, except the Bellamy Brothers). The Bellamy Brothers, Debby Boone, and Ronnie McDowell would go on have many Country hits. I was told by RCA that Bonnie Tyler did not want to be marketed as a Country artist. Meri Wison was a “one hit wonder.” WABC also added Elvis Preseley’s “Way Down,” first played on WHN.
In 1979, Barbara Mandrell had her first hit to crossover into the Billboard Top 40, “If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don’t Want To Be Right). By then ACE had ceased to be a factor. As a result of crossover these Country artists like Barbara sold many more records than airplay on Country radio alone would have produced.
The last major Country to Top 40 crossover records from WHN to WABC that I can recall were “Elvira” by The Oak Ridge Boys, which WABC added in June 1981, and “Feels So Right” by Alabama, which WABC added in August 1981.
I’m sure I have forgotten a few of these many crossovers and reverse crossovers.
In September 1981, I left WHN to be a partner with Dick Clark in a startup radio network, The United Stations Radio Network. In May 1982 WABC abandoned its music format and became an all-Talk radio station.
Ed Salamon
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As you can see, Ed was there when the country and pop were crossing over to each other’s territory. More of his career can be found on many internet websites including Facebook where you can see and hear him talk about his record collection which was up to 36,000 LP’s. He has since then downsized but what a collection he had. Check it out: https://www.facebook.com/coxinterior/videos/insane-record-collection-of-36000-albums/1131842132437218/ THANKS, ED!
See ya. Charlie