Our Monthly Club Meeting will be Sunday, August 9th at the Homewood Public Library. 2:00 PM

*****Next club meeting will be September 13th, 2009, the second Sunday******

WITH THE BRC HALL OF FAME IN MIND, AT THIS MONTH’S MEETING WE WILL DISCUSS AND PLAY SOME OF THE LOCAL MUSIC RECORDED OVER THE YEARS. BRING SOME OF YOUR MUSIC ON CD’S OR 45’S AND LET’S GIVE THEM A SPIN FOR ALL TO HEAR.

THIS IS OUR LAST MEETING BEFORE THE RECORD SHOW SO WE WILL BE GOING OVER ASSIGNMENTS AND OTHER DETAILS TO BE SURE WE ARE ALL PREPARED.

SCHEDULED LIVE MUSIC DURING SHOW WEEK: SUNDAY AFTER THE INDUCTION, ROBERT ALEXANDER, MEMBER OF THE DISTORIONS, WILL HAVE HIS CURRENT BAND PERFORM FOR US.

SUNDAY AFTER THE SHOW AT HOGAN’S IRISH PUB & GRILL, THE TIKIS WILL BE PERFORMING FROM 5:00-8:00. $5 COVER CHARGE.

THE 2009 INDUCTION CLASS FOR THE BRC HALL OF FAME

TOMMY CHARLES

Tommy Charles and his partner of almost 22 years, John Ed Willoughby, are often remembered as the “Godfathers” of talk-radio in Birmingham. But he also was an important part in the early days of “rock and roll” radio in Birmingham.

A native of Chattanooga, Tennessee, Tommy wanted to be a big band singer like his favorite male singer, Frank Sinatra. However, when Tommy left Chattanooga in 1955 to pursue his singing career, the big band era was ending. He first was a vocalist with the Horace Heidt Orchestra. While with the Heidt Band, he sang on a number of CBS Radio Network shows. He soon signed a recording contract with Decca Records shortly thereafter and recorded an album entitled “Our Love Affair”. The title song of the same name received regional air play and became his signature radio song over the years. In 1956 he appeared as himself, along with other rock and roll stars, in the American International Pictures film “Shake, Rattle, and Rock” singing “Sweet Love on My Mind” and “Rockin’ on Saturday Night”. This success was followed by touring the night club and supper club circuit in the south and southeast, and appearing locally at Mike’s South Pacific Club in Homewood.

Tiring of the constant travel necessary on the night club and supper club circuit, Tommy accepted an offer from legendary radio station general manager Ben McKinnon to be the overnight DJ for WSGN radio in Birmingham. His first day with WSGN was December 18, 1956, and he was given the Midnight to 5:00 am shift. According to Ben McKinnon who was there at that time, when he first went live on the air, Tommy “froze” and someone else had to take over for him. This however was the first, last, and only time Tommy Charles was speechless behind a radio microphone. He was an immediate hit with the teenage audience, and soon was moved to the night time shift of 7:00 pm to Midnight. He took over the Sky Castle Serenade show that was broadcast live from a small remote glass-enclosed studio located above the Hickory Hut Bar-B-Que drive-in at the Five Points West Shopping Center.

Because “Sky Castle” had been such a big success in its previous location at Eli’s Drive-In, just down from the station’s offices, with the teenagers parking in the restaurant parking lot just listening to and watching the broadcast, WSGN was asked to move it to another location. This move worked well with Tommy taking over the broadcast at the new location. In an interview in the 1980’s, Tommy talked about his days at WSGN and the Sky Castle broadcasts specifically. He lamented about how radio had changed as to what DJs could play, i. e., “the Playlist”. Back then, he could play requests from the people at the restaurant and play pretty much whatever he wanted to play at night. He even sang along with the records when he felt like it. To this day, when we hear certain songs we associate with Sky Castle, we still remember them and Tommy.

After the remote Sky Castle broadcasts ended, Tommy returned to WSGN studios and continued with his night-time program, and was voted “Best DJ of the Year” by the Birmingham Advertising Club in 1957, ’58, and ’59. He also was active in civic theatre, starring in several plays with the Center Players.

With success came other opportunities. In 1961 Tommy left WSGN to a take a position with KTHT radio in Houston, Texas - joining his general manager Ben McKinnon, and was replaced by Dave Roddy from WYDE. He returned to Birmingham the following year (1962), joining WYDE, taking the 3:00 to 7:00 shift. Shortly thereafter, he joined with Doug Layton, who had moved from WSGN to WYDE earlier, to become the first two-man radio team in Birmingham. Known as “Layton and Charles”, they were an immediate success with their banter, skits, and the music they played. They also hosted a number of teenage dances in the local area at places like the Hollywood Country Club.

In 1965 Tommy and Doug started their own radio station, WAQY, in partnership with local auto dealer Tom Gloor. On-air characters they had developed over the years including “Buddy Birmingham”, “Sir Rodney Featherstone”, and “Jud and Clara Harrington” also went with them. It was in 1966 while Tommy and Doug were hosting WAQY’s morning show that the most famous “incident” in his career to date took place – the “Ban the Beatles” hoopla. Early one morning, after hearing John Lennon’s statement about the Beatles being more popular than Jesus Christ, Tommy and Doug decided that they would not be playing any more Beatles’ records and announced their decision on the air. The momentum took off from there – spreading nationally. Tommy said later it was a “gut reaction” and was not something to generate publicity.

Because WAQY was a daytime station and had only 1000 watts of power, it was very hard to generate enough revenue to be profitable. As such, WAQY, as it once was, went away in 1970. In the interim, Tommy continued to work with his advertising agency and for a brief period was the Sportscaster for WBMG-TV (Channel 42) in the early 1970’s.

In 1975 Tommy returned to WSGN, re-uniting with station general manager Ben McKinnon. Shortly thereafter, Tommy asked Mr. McKinnon to partner him with John Ed Willoughby - a partnership that lasted over 21 years. From the WSGN Penthouse in the City Federal Building, the “TC and John Ed” show moved to WVOK and in 1985 began their long-tenured run with WERC. In the early days of their show, they still played some music before becoming an “all talk show”.

Tommy and John Ed received the “Lotus Award” from the Alabama Broadcasters Association for their actions during the Birmingham Ice Storm of 1982. Tommy also was widely recognized for his individual efforts during the March 1993 “Snow Storm of the Century” when he literally had to crawl up the mountain to get to the station to take calls from the listeners and try to get aid to them during the emergency period.

Sadly, Tommy Charles passed away in 1996 after open heart surgery. Tommy, morning radio is not the same since you’ve been gone. Thanks for the memories and for all the good times!

THE DISTORTIONS

In 1962, from the Ensley Highlands section of Birmingham, Alabama, Robert Alexander (rhythm guitar), Ned Bibb (song writer, vocalist and lead guitar), and Bobby Marlin (drums) started playing together as a band while they were still in high school. The group started out as The Counts and grew in numbers to include Henry Lovoy doing vocals and maracas and Jimmy LaRussa on bass.

During the years of l964 through 1966, they backed Travis Wammack, a rock - rockabilly recording artist and guitarist, who had earlier recorded a hit entitled “Scratchy.” The group took the name The Distortions from Wammack’s recording of “Distortion Part 1.” Their first 45 was recorded at Fame Recording Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama under the SEA label (Southeastern Attractions). A Ned Bibb original was featured as the A side and a slow, loopy take on “Hound Dog” on the flip side. The band later added Roy (Zac) Zachry on keyboard and along with Travis Wammack recorded “Take This Ring/You Know I’m On My Way,” at Roland Jane’s Memphis Studio, also on the SEA label.

After Ned Bibb left the band in 1966, Eddie Rice joined the group on guitar and played with the Distortions for about a year. They recorded “Smokestack Lightning/Hot Cha” on the SEA label. Another Distortions favorite, “Thank You John,” was recorded under the Malcolm Z. Dirge label and reached the charts on WSGN radio, broadcasting out of Birmingham. The Malcolm Z. Dirge name was coined by Zac Zachry, the keyboardist and vocalist for the group. On the flip side, they recorded a fine version of the Rascals’ oft-covered “I Ain’t Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore” with both songs featuring Robert Alexander, Zac Zachry, Bobby Marlin and Eddie Rice. After Eddie left the band, Bo Fowler played guitar, followed by Joe Rudd.

When their next 45- “Behind My Wall”- was picked up for national distribution by Smash, the Distortions had their biggest hit, selling 12,000 to 15,000 copies according to their producer, Ed Boutwell. It was written by Robert Gregg. They had great success with a good Bill Haney original, “I Found a Girl;” the flip side was a version of “I Don’t Really Like You,” originally done by Baton Rouge’s Canebreak Singers on Montel and written by Mike Crespo. It was produced by Haney and Richie Becker, recorded at The LeFevre Studio in Atlanta and released on Casino, a subsidiary of the Dover Records Company of New Orleans.

In 1967, the Distortions added Dale Aston on guitar, Roy Alexander and Steve Saylord on saxophone. Henry Lovoy took over on drums in 1972. Their last release was a cleaned up version of the Stone’s “Let’s Spend the Night Together,” retitled “Let’s Spend Some Time Together.”

Several other musicians, including Barry Beckett, and Eddie Hinton were players over the years. Zac Zachry, Roy Alexander, Clif Payne and Ed Finn continued to play college and club shows as the Distortions into the 1970s.

THE TIKIS

The Tikis’ image was one of a “beach band”, although they were really a group of musicians from Birmingham, Alabama. Billy Self, Clyde Masters, Hayes Hopper, and Len Wade were part of the Bobby Mizzell Soultet. They also played gigs on their own along the Florida panhandle and into Mobile. In 1962, after deciding to form their own group, they picked the name “The Tikis” to fit their beach band image. Soon after that Phillip “Scotty” Scott joined the group and “Len Wade & The Tikis” were ready to rock.

They continued to tour the Mobile and Ft. Walton area and settled in as the house band at
The Club Lido in Ft. Walton. With Billy Self on drums, Clyde Masters on bass, Hayes Hopper on sax, Phillip Scott on trumpet and Len Wade doing the bluesy piano and vocals, they combined tight dance routines and horn lines and became a beach version of The Mar-Keys. With their high octane R&B delivery and the “big finish”, they were bringing the house down nightly.

At Club Lido they met Finley Duncan, a man who ran a local jukebox operation and who would soon form the first record label they would record on - Minaret. Mr. Duncan took the guys off to Nashville to begin recording. Later he would take them to Muscle Shoals, Alabama to record at a new studio called Fame Studios. When needed, Finley even recorded them at his company’s office. Over time “The Tikis” not only recorded on the Minaret label, but also on Dial, United Artists, and Atco.

With the addition of Dwight Anderson, Robert “Bo” Fowler, Tim Smith, Dale Karrh and Steve Harp, “The Tikis” continued to mature and hit their stride recording two more albums self-titled simply “The Tikis” with one identified as the “Footprints” album and the other as the “Starfish” album.

The Tikis kept their legendary status going strong with quite a touring schedule. Over the years they played cities and towns in 32 states and 3 countries around the world, including two separate 25 city tours of Japan on the same bill as Brenda Lee. Other people they toured with over the years included Leslie Gore, Bobby Goldsboro, Ray Stevens, Chad & Jeremy as well as Sam & Dave. Locally many will remember seeing “The Tikis” in the Boom Boom Room at the Eastwood Bowling Center and might have even bought their “In Town Tonight” LP.

After performing together for more than a decade, the guys went their separate ways. Some stayed in the music industry playing in other bands, touring with other acts, solo recording, and working with talent agencies and concert promotions while others went into the corporate world or owned their own businesses.

They all started young in the world of music and not only have many good memories from those days, but also left many good memories for us as music lovers as well. They did as their hit song said, “I Was Doin’ Alright” and to us they still are.

I KNOW YOU JOIN ME IN CONGRATULATING THE INDUCTEES INTO THE BRC 2009 HALL OF FAME.