Ted Yates's blog

Want to see hundreds of music charts from the 60's and 70's?

It's always fascinating to look back at music charts from yesterday. I have some CKOC hit charts from the 60's and 70's. That was back when CKOC was Ontario's Music Leader for new hits. Now we play them as Oldies. Back then, there was a National chart compiled from record sales, Radio airplay and Radio station chart standings. It was called RPM and CKOC was a major contributor to this nationwide compilation. There is now a website database of all this information of RPM Charts and its hosted by the Government of Canada. You can search and browse here for hours, days, weeks and months. You may want to add this one to your favourites. You may also want to look back at certain weeks and years to connect with milestones in your life, or someone close to you. Hope you enjoy it, and keep coming back to my blog on a daily basis for many more interesting and informative things.

A Long Weekend followed by a short week

I hope you enjoyed the long weekend, despite the less than perfect weather.Sometimes its just nice to get away from a regular routine, even if you didn't get away from home. I certainly didn't envy anyone camping and sleeping outdoors in tents this past weekend.It was very cool and wet.Despite the weather, we went cycling, did some gardening (mostly picking weeds, which was easier with all the rain soaking the ground) and watched a few movies on DVD.Fireworks was not a part of my long Victoria Day Weekend at all. I guess with the kids grown up, or too old to be interested, its just not that exciting anymore.It's going to be a short and fast week with May 24 coming up on Saturday. That's not to be confused with the weekend that just passed, which is often referred to as the MAY 24 Weekend. For our American friends, it will be the Long Memorial Day weekend. I'm sure they'll get better weather than we did for our 3 day weekend.

Firecracker Day, - at least that's what we used to call it

Remember when you were a kid and you'd get so excited about Firecracker Day? Yes, I know it was always the long Victoria Day weekend, but we just cared about the fireworks. As kids we could go to the corner store and buy those little red-packaged firecrackers. Sometimes we would let the whole pack go at once and other times we would unravel the string at the top and light and throw them into the air one at a time. Sometimes we would even put them in pipes or under things and light them and watch them as we ran for cover. Yes, I know it was dangerous back then. That's why you can't even buy them anymore. We used to love doing the family display on the front boulevard beginning with the sparklers and ending with the burning schoolhouse. Whatever you do this long holiday weekend, please have a safe and happy one.

The summer of '72 revisited as we're Lookin' Back starting Friday

Well, the long Victoria Day weekend is almost here and beginning in the 9 o'clock hour on Friday morning, join me twice an hour for Lookin' Back at some 'Oh Wow' hits from 1958 to 1972. You'll hear about things you most likely remember, but have forgotten about. The summer of '72 was one of my favourite summers. Some of the hits then included Brandy, you're a Fine Girl, Lean On Me, Take It Easy, Saturday In The Park, Beautiful Sunday, Go All The Way, Where Is The Love, Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress,Too Late To Turn Back Now and the first hit for Ireland's singer/songwriter Gilbert O'Sullivan with Alone Again Naturally. Ever seen the singer? Here's a sneak preview of what you'll hear on Oldies 1150 CKOC this long holiday weekend.

A Special kickoff to the long weekend on CKOC and more

I'd like to thank those who joined me on the CKOC Chatroom Wednesday from 11am - 12noon. One question asked was  'Is that really Wolfman Jack on the Guess Who hit 'Clap for The Wolfman' or was it Burton Cummings doing a 'Wolfman' impersonation?' The answer I gave was, - Yes, it was definitely Wolfman Jack. Burton has since performed the part of the Wolfman on the song on stage. We lost Wolfman over 10 years ago, but he's back for an encore every Saturday night 6 - 11pm on 1150 CKOC. I met him twice and I introduced him on stage for a show just about a year before his untimely death of a sudden heart attack. Please join me every Wednesday 11am - 12noon in the CKOC chatroom.

Then and Now

A friend and listener to Oldies 1150 CKOC, Rob Muir,  recently emailed me something I found quite interesting. It's a then and now comparison between 1970 and 2008. I hope you find it as amusing as I did:

Can you tell which words or phrases are from 1970, and which are from 2008?

Mailman - Letter Carrier

Damn, my pencil broke - Damn, the computer is down

Second wife - Blended family

Here's your ashtray - It's out on the back porch

Young punk - Young offender

Go out and get some fresh air and sun - If you have to go out, take

Mother's Day was great and Victoria Day weekend's next

I hope you had a good weekend and a great Mother's Day. We took my Mom to a nice Brunch Sunday morning down on Queen Street in the Toronto Beaches area, our old stomping grounds. It was great and my mom had a good time, and that's what really matters. A week from today (Monday) will be Victoria Day. The first long weekend of the summer season (even though summer's a month away) will be here before you know it, and its early this year. May 24 weekend is actually the Saturday AFTER the long weekend this year. The long weekend is May 16th to 19th. Stay tuned for a special presentation of music starting this Friday. This is the weekend of fireworks, gardening and for many, opening their cottages for the season. CKOC's Tropical Tune Of The Day today is a 1967 summer hit that takes me back to those better weather days. Remember a group called Every Mother's Son? They had only 1 hit, but it was a fun one. Here's original footage of them performing 'Come On Down To My Boat'.

Canadian Explosion and The Stampeders in concert

Thursday night, Alyson and I saw a great musical at Stage West in Mississisauga called 'Canadian Explosion'. We sat with the co-writer of the production, Nevin Grant, -CKOC's longtime Music and Program Director until his retirement a few years ago. Also in attendance were CKOC's John Novak, Rock 'N Ray Michaels and Michelle Quinn. This musical spanned the 50's through present day with great Canadian music showcased throughout in a fast-paced, slick production with an excellent cast of singers and musicians. It's a must-see for fans of the music performed by Canadian music artists.Also in attendance were 60's Canadian Idol Bobby Curtola (Fortune Teller, 3 Rows Over) and Rich Dodson of the Stampeders. Both Canadian music legends were very friendly. I spoke with Rich before the show and I asked him how it felt to have his song 'Sweet City Woman' (he wrote  and sang lead on it)  featured in the Adam Sandler film 'Little Nicky' and he replied "I didn't mind, - they paid me $30,000. Wow! Of course The Stampeders had many hits including 'Carry Me', 'Oh My Lady', 'Devil You', 'Minstrel Gypsy', 'Hit The Road Jack' and others.All 3 original members will be touring this spring and summer. CKOC will be giving away tickets to a show nearby. Keep listening for details. Here's original footage of one of their concerts from the year of 'Sweet City Woman' . Enjoy!

Rare footage of the Beach Boys with David Marks

Today's Tropical Tune Of The Day on CKOC is 'Surfin' Safari' by The Beach Boys .I've always been a big Beach Boys fan and this was the song that launched their career in 1962. Next month The Police and Fire Associations with Oldies 1150 CKOC presents 'The Legends Of Surf Music' featuring David Marks, a member of the Beach Boys in their early days. The show also highlights Dean Torrence of Jan and Dean fame. He's also known for singing lead on The Beach Boys 1966 party hit 'Barbara Ann', even though he was never a member of this legendary surf band.  Here's rare footage of The Beach Boys (back when they were) performing their very first hit with David Marks. He's the kid on guitar on the far left.

Green Grass and sunny, warmer days ahead

Well, it is certainly time for me to get moving and mowing. I noticed our grass is growing rapidly ( and so are the weeds) and in the next few days I'll have to do the deed for the first time this year.Unfortunately, I have to fill up the Gas container at around a buck 20 a litre. When I finished mowing last fall, it was still under a buck. Also, since last year there's now a ban on pesticides, so I have to be careful on what I put on for weed killer. Maybe I'll just get down on my hands and knees and just pick them out one by one.  We had to replace the water hose nozzle the other day because it was squirting all over the place when we turned it on. I thought the duct tape around it would hold it together for one more summer, but not so. In the garden, perhaps I'll work from daybreak to backbreak, but I'll have to wait for the weekend, when I have some free time between doing indoor chores and groceries. Sure hope it doesn't rain, otherwise I don't know when I'll get to it. I truly love the outdoors and here's an oldie that reminds me of this time of the year. It's Gary Lewis and The Playboys GREEN GRASS (something I can only hope for) from 1966, featuring a then- unknown Leon Russell on keyboards. You can listen to this hit while watching an interesting visual.