Dino, 3 Dog Night salute Soo

Sault Ste. Marie, besides being one of North America's oldest cities, has been the inspiration for a pair of memorable, if unimaginatively named, songs.

Crooner Dean Martin sang a tune called "Sault Ste. Marie" during a 1950s era radio program, while rock group Three Dog Night recorded a different song with the same name as a centerpiece to its "35th Anniversary Hits Collection."

If you were a pop music fan between 1969 and 1976, you know Three Dog Night. The trio of lead singers-- Danny Hutton, Cory Wells, and Chuck Negron-- formed a band in late-60s Los Angeles. They earned 21 Top Forty smashes, including the number ones "Mama Told Me (Not To Come)," "Joy To The World," and "Black & White."

Named for the coldest night in the Australian outback, the group disbanded in 1976, reformed in the mid 1980s and reunited again in the new century, this time without Negron.

Three Dog Night, which continues to tour, borrowed a trick from the Moody Blues and re-recorded their hits with an orchestral backing. The reunion album, released Oct. 19, 2004, contains 15 tracks recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Larry Baird. Four bonus live tracks are also included.

Besides a generous portion of hits, the album contains "Overground" and "Sault Ste. Marie," the only new songs the group has recorded in decades.

The latter song, making a reference to the town known commonly as the "Soo," was actually written by Kevin Bowe, a talented musician and composer hailing from Minnesota. Throughout its career, Three Dog Night specialized in recording great songs rather than concentrating on writing their own material. The popular band made hits of songs written by Harry Nilsson, Laura Nyro, Randy Newman, Russ Ballard, Hoyt Axton, Elton John and Leo Sayer.

Now, add Bowe to that list. Leader of the Okemah Prophets, Bowe wrote "Sault Ste. Marie," with an assist from Bill Deasy, for the group's debut "Restoration" compact disc. Probably better known as a composer than musician, he has penned material for such famous musicians such as Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Jonny Lang, Etta James, Robben Ford, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Delbert McClinton, John Mayall and Richie Sambora.

"Sault Ste. Marie" is reminiscent of roots rockers such as John Mellencamp, Neil Young or John Fogerty, and features Jimmy Z on harmonica.

Bowe told me he came to write the song "totally from imagination and daydreaming. It's just the best name for a city anyone ever came up with."

He explained he became friends with Three Dog Night vocalist Danny Hutton as the group was searching for songs for the new album. "We became pals and they cut two of my songs, 'Sault Ste. Marie,' and 'The Heart of Everything,'" Bowe recalled.

Bowe's favorite memory concerning "Sault Ste. Marie" happened when he was doing a big festival in Duluth, right on Lake Superior. "The water was right behind the stage and as we kicked into the song, there was this loud noise, one of those foghorn things from a huge ship going by. We turned around, looked at it and the name on the side was 'Sault Ste. Marie,'" Bowe recounted.

The Soo's other musical cheerleader, Dean Martin, grew up in the small town of Steubenville, Ohio. Born Dino Crocetti on June 7, 1917, he enjoyed a lengthy career as a singer and actor until his death on Christmas Day, 1995, at age 78. He was a member of the Rat Pack and starred in his own television series and numerous movies including 16 with comedian Jerry Lewis.

Martin, who's best remembered for "Memories Are Made of This," "Everybody Loves Somebody," and "Return To Me," recorded for Capitol and Reprise.

His recording of "Sault Ste. Marie" probably originated from the Martin & Lewis radio program which was broadcast live on the NBC network, beginning in 1948. The chorus of the tune includes the line: "So, my love, wait for me; and I'll come back to you in Sault Ste. Marie." The song appears on a compact disc entitled "Some Enchanted Evening," the contents of which has been released on various small labels in recent years. Martin's distinctive baritone makes the ballad a pleasant addition to his extensive discography.

Although "Dino" undoubtedly held small towns in warm regard, there's no evidence Steubenville's most famous son ever traveled to Sault Ste. Marie. Songwriter Bowe has never been there, either. "However, if someone there wants to book a gig, I'm on my way," he enthused.

On the other hand, I've been to the Soo on numerous occasions. Next time I visit, whether in person or through a song, I'll pay a little more heed.

2006's top CD's for grown-ups

While kids are saturating your neighborhood with pop idol Justin Timberlake or some questionable rap CD, you should know a number of old friends have returned with some real music for you to enjoy.

You may recall Bob Dylan's critical comments a few months ago, when he was less than complimentary about the music of the last two decades, even his own. Then, in August he released "Modern Times," lauded by fans and critics alike, in an effort to reverse the trend.

Dylan's work heralded a year in which many older stars, like Bob Seger, Neil Young and David Gilmour, even The Beatles and The Who, proved they could make worthwhile music even if commercial radio and promotional campaigns ignored their work in favor of a younger demographic.

Some of the artists didn't exactly rush to put out their new material. Dylan took five years to issue his current disc, Seger waited ten, and The Who let 24 years slip by without a fresh studio album.

The Who, with one of the most enviable back catalogs in rock, spent nearly four years recording "Endless Wire," finally unleashed in October. While only songwriter/ guitarist Pete Townshend and vocalist Roger Daltrey remain from the original quartet, the group's trademark sound is fully intact. The disc even includes a mini-opera and a DVD of the band performing live at the Vienne Amphitheatre in Lyon, France on July 17, during a tour of Europe.

Michigan's rock 'n' roll treasure Bob Seger, also toured in connection with "Face the Promise," which fans had waited for a decade to hear. Manager "Punch" Andrews did a masterful job promoting the new disc, assigning it a give-away price initially. The album shows the 61-year-old Seger at the top of his game and is as strong as any long-player in his career. Rockin' tracks like "Wreck This Heart," will have you spinning this disc often. Fans scooped up the new product, making it an instant success.

Another new release calling for repeated listening is "Love" an official mash-up album by a group which disbanded 36 years ago, The Beatles. An incredibly inventive album, "Love" has been years in the making and evolved from an idea by George Harrison, who passed away in 2001. Assembled by Beatles producer George Martin and his son Giles, the album contains 26 tracks which include sounds embedded from 130 different songs.

Authorized by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison, the disc causes you to listen to familiar songs in new ways. With the exception of an orchestral track, newly recorded for Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," every sound on the disc comes from original Beatles tapes. Since even McCartney couldn't recognize some of the individual multi-tracks included in this disc, it might take you years to hear, much less identify, them all.

A couple of other Britishers also returned with new projects this year. Pink Floyd's David Gilmour released "On an Island" in March while Eric Clapton issued "Road to Escondido" in November as a collaboration with the influential songwriter and performer J. J. Cale.

Gilmour's pleasant and airy album does not stray far from the Floyd template, or may simply illustrate how important his guitar and vocals were to Pink Floyd's legendary sound on such albums as "Dark Side of the Moon," "The Wall" and "Momentary Lapse of Reason."

Clapton, who has delved into the blues in recent years, made two of Cale's songs, "After Midnight" and "Cocaine" into giant hits in the 1970s, and kept his friend from Oklahoma City in royalty checks for years. Just like Clapton's partnership with B. B. King, his work with Cale pairs two guitar gods with exciting results.

Neil Young, meanwhile, has always used his musical talent to challenge listeners with genre-bending instrumentation and thought-provoking lyrics. The Canadian-born musician, now residing in the United States, wrote and recorded "Living With War" in just three weeks. With his unmistakable vocals, and purposely rough production, Young makes his anti-war stance very clear.

Also putting out notable albums this year were Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen and Van Morrison. In addition, Kinks founder Ray Davies graced us with the first solo album of his long career.

So, next time you hear some tuneless racket foisted on you by giant corporations trying to dilute your musical taste, remember those old friends who have returned with ear candy just for grown-ups.

Huey Lewis, oldies rocked arena

Since opening in 1974, Lakeview Arena in Marquette has hosted many notable rock concerts including a pair of shows in the mid-80s which were especially memorable for my wife Sue and me.

Huey Lewis and the News played there in 1984 at the pinnacle of their career, while the following year saw an appearance by the highly successful Happy Together Tour, featuring a quartet of veteran acts.

Lewis, based in San Francisco, earned some recognition in 1982 with "Do You Believe in Love," while the mega-hit "Sports" album was released the next year, containing a remarkable four Top Ten smashes. In all, Lewis racked up 22 hit singles and received considerable time on MTV with video versions of those hits.

In fact, the man who starred in several of those videos, a comedian named Dr. Gonzo, served as warm-up act for the Marquette concert.

Accompanying himself on electric guitar, Dr. Gonzo, who's real name is John Means, delivered parodies of then-current songs along with his comic observations before a house itchy to hear the main act.

Dr. Gonzo, got his laughs and got off-stage as Lewis and the News launched into their their hit-filled performance before an arena packed with Yoopers eager for live versions of the radio friendly anthems they'd been hearing for months.

The band, with Lewis on vocals and harmonica, consisted of bass player Mario Cipollina, saxophonist Johnny Colla, drummer Bill Gibson, lead guitarist Chris Hayes and Sean Hopper on keyboards.

As you might expect they played crowd-pleasing versions of "Heart and Soul," "I Want a New Drug," "The Heart of Rock & Roll," "If This Is It," and "Walking on a Thin Line." If memory serves, they did not perform "The Power of Love," from the movie "Back to the Future," which would later give the group their first No. 1.

By 1985, we were back at Lakeview for the feel-good Happy Together Tour. This well-organized concert included the Turtles, featuring Flo & Eddie; the Buckinghams; Gary Lewis & the Playboys; and the Grass Roots with Rob Grill.

Like the Huey Lewis concert, we went to the show, a virtual trip down memory lane, with friends Dan and Nancy Young of Escanaba.

Not surprisingly, the Turtles' performance included a bit of satire from founding members Mark Volman (Flo) and Howard Kaylan (Eddie), specifically a hilarious take on "Flashdance."

Of course the crowd heard solid performances of "Eleanor," "You Showed Me" and "Happy Together," written, not by the Turtles, but by Gary Bonner and Alan Gordon, members of a Boston area group, the Magicians.

The Chicago-based Buckinghams, with original members Nick Fortuna and Carl Giammarese, knocked out "Kind of a Drag," their monster No. 1 from 1967; plus "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy," "Don't You Care," and "Susan," my wife's namesake song.

Gary Lewis (no relation to Huey) sang his string of hits, including "This Diamond Ring." But, he seemingly mimicked himself with insipid versions of his rather sappy songbook. And, he wasn't as funny as his dad, Jerry, either.

Original vocalist Rob Grill breathed life into the Grass Roots catalog when he performed more than credible versions of "Let's Live for Today," "Midnight Confessions," "Sooner or Later," and "I'd Wait a Million Years."

All told, the audience enjoyed a hit-filled evening that was replicated around the country over the course of eight-months, turning into one of the top-grossing tours of 1985.

The Huey Lewis tour, meanwhile, also won accolades, especially those shows for which Texas guitar-slinger and blues legend Stevie Ray Vaughan opened.

In Marquette, however, you'll remember funnyman Dr. Gonzo was the "warm-up" act for Lewis. Today, the retired comedian, not to be confused with the character created by journalist Hunter S. Thompson, owns two restaurants in Mason City, Ill., his hometown. He also works as a college professor.

If you visit, tell him Huey sent you and ask him to 'warm-up' your coffee. He'll surely appreciate the humor.

Night Ranger's secret U.P. CD

If you want to collect all of Night Ranger's compact discs, you'll have to search for a hard-to-find Japanese recording which actually originated right here in the Upper Peninsula.

Night Ranger, of course, is the prolific San Francisco rock group, most famous for "Sister Christian," which dominated the mid-eighties music scene with a catalog of power ballads and pop-metal hits.

In the middle of that chart domination, as the band was moving from opener to headliner, they played a concert at Northern Michigan University in Marquette.

Ten songs from that August 1984, show were captured on tape, including "When you Close Your Eyes" and "Don't Tell Me You Love Me," but how those performances ended up on an imported compact disc remains a mystery.

The Marquette recordings were paired with some live tracks from a Jan. 10, 1983 Cincinnati show in a double disc package called "Find Me A Thrill." Subtitled "The Lost Live Album," the set also contains two studio outtakes, "Wild & Innocent Youth" and "Girls All Like It."

Appearing on the Boardwalk Records label, the discs are not available commercially in the United States, giving suspicion to their legality. That's because copyright laws in other countries are often less strict than those in the U. S., and grey market CDs can surface.

While Boardwalk did release Night Ranger's debut album, "Dawn Patrol," in 1982, company founder Neil Bogart died that same year. The firm slipped into a downward spiral just as these live recordings were being made, prompting Night Ranger to move to the MCA/Camel label.

On tour, Night Ranger opened for ZZ Top and Ozzy Osbourne. The band, comprised of bassist Jack Blades, drummer Kelly Keagy, keyboardist Alan Fitzgerald, and guitar player Jeff Watson, even stole another guitarist, Brad Gillis, from Ozzy's band.

Night Ranger's success grew with "Midnight Madness," their second album. While Night Ranger records were filled with risque innuendo and hard rocking guitars, the band also had a conservative side. Keagy wrote and sang "Sister Christian," for his own sibling, urging girls across America to be cautious. The group also promoted patriotic themes with "(You Can Still) Rock in America," an anthem similar to tracks by the likes of Sammy Hagar and Ted Nugent, two acts not afraid to espouse moderate principles.

Both "Sister Christian" and "Rock In America" were played at the Marquette show 22 years ago. Those and the rest of the U. P. recordings on "Find Me A Thrill" are offered in soundboard quality indicating they were obtained after being processed through the band's mixing console.

Listening to the disc reveals a more obvious clue about the origin of the recordings when an announcer credits the concert to an FM radio broadcast of the "King Biscuit Flour Hour," a program spotlighting live rock music. The album is not listed on Night Ranger's discography on the group's official website, giving further evidence about its legal status.

If you're looking for legitimate concert recordings, Night Ranger does have two officially released live discs readily available, "Live in Japan" from 1990 and "Rock in Japan '97." Both have budget pricetags, and carry similar track listings. The band has also cut a deal with Sony/BMG to release a third live album from shows performed in Japan during 2003.

While I didn't go to Night Ranger's 1984 Marquette show, I can listen to that CD now whenever I want.

The group's Escanaba appearance during the "Big Life Tour" three year later, meanwhile, is seared into my memory, although I didn't go to that performance, either.

You see, as Night Ranger was playing at top volume during an evening show at the Upper Peninsula State Fair on Friday, Aug. 21, 1987, some unsavory types attempted to use the noisy cover and deserted streets to break into my store. The culprits used their pick-up truck to ram the double doors at the rear of the building, which were fortified on the inside by a hefty steel bar.

Fortunately, an upstairs tenant heard some commotion, called public safety and confronted the would-be burglars who drove away before authorities arrived.

Perhaps going to concerts is overrated. After all, I know what went on during two Night Ranger concerts in the U. P., and I stayed home both times.

Jazz duo's lost 'Escanaba Beat'

The song is called "Escanaba Beat." You probably never heard of it, much less heard it.

But, it's a standout track recorded by jazz great Edward "Sonny" Stitt in 1974. You may never have heard of him, either.

Just so you know, Stitt was a renown alto and tenor saxophonist, almost as influential as Charlie Parker. Recognized for his great improvisations, Stitt's prolific career included 10 albums in 1974 & 1975 alone, including one called "Tornado." It's there you'll find "Escanaba Beat," a slightly Latin flavored number, featuring some funky keyboards, clocking in at just under five minutes.

The track was actually written by electric keyboardist Eddie Russ, hailing from Pittsburgh, whose band The Mixed Bag, also appeared on the disc.

Gladstone resident Jim Rockwell, a top jazz deejay in Detroit for decades, remembers Stitt as an influential performer in numerous bands which played in the metropolitan area during the1950s and 60s. "He played with everybody," Rockwell recounted.

Rockwell should know. During his career all the jazz greats who came to Detroit while on tour stopped by Rockwell's radio program which broadcast from the top floor of the Sheridan Cadillac Hotel.

"First they came by as guests, then friends. We'd just talk and I'd play the songs they wanted to hear," Rockwell remembered. Among the jazz stars appearing on Rockwell's all-night radio program were Miram Makeba, Maynard Ferguson, Nina Simone, Wes Montgomery, Ramsey Lewis, Bill Evans, Al Hirt, Johnny Hodges, Dizzy Gillespie and Duke Ellington, perhaps the 20th century's greatest musician-- in any genre.

In fact, Rockwell recalled Ellington, by himself, paying a visit to his penthouse studio to appear on the area's top-rated jazz program.

Rockwell retired from Detroit radio in 1968, and was surprised to learn of Stitt's recording of "Escanaba Beat," which came out six years later.

The song appeared on a long play record on the Jazz Masters label, based in Grand Rapids, and has not been reissued on compact disc.

So, it's not surprising you probably haven't heard it. With no compact disc version available, you'll have to hunt down an LP and pay about $25 to hear the tune named after our fair city.

Designed by Travis Erby, the LP's purple and blue cover features the artist's conception of a city skyline with a twister approaching.

The sessions were produced and directed by Bob Crawford, who also had an interest in the Jazz Masters label, still located at 1232 Drexel Court in Grand Rapids. The album was recorded at a local facility, Cinema Sound, while re-recording was done at DXM Studios in Farmington.

Besides "Escanaba Beat," the long player included the title song, also written by Russ; the Carpenters' "We've Only Just Begun;" "Natural High," "By My Side," and a groovin' rendition of "Spinning Wheel," a 1969 smash for Blood, Sweat and Tears just begging for a jazz treatment.

While it's apparent the aim of the recording was to expose younger jazz listeners to Stitt's sounds with contemporary pop tunes, there is some mystery involved, too.

How did "Escanaba Beat" come to be named? Producer Crawford told me: "Russ named the song because he once worked in Escanaba and was really fascinated by the city."

Did Stitt ever visit or perform here? Stitt was a musical road warrior for over three decades. Plus, he lived in Saginaw, merely 300 miles from here. Crawford, however, said to his knowledge Stitt never came to Escanaba.

Did they play "Escanaba Beat" in concert or was it strictly a studio creation? According to Crawford, the pair played the tune in concert many times.

Since Stitt died of a heart attack in 1982 and Russ passed away in 1996, further questions about the song might be difficult to answer.

Still, jazz fans, including former Detroit deejay Jim Rockwell, hold Stitt in high regard. So, why would only a handful of his more than 100 albums be available on compact disc?

As we ponder those questions, the "Escanaba Beat" goes on.

Bob Seger's 'delicious dilemma'

Bob Seger has a delicious dilemma. The veteran Michigan rocker has so many tasty hit songs that he can't perform them all in a two hour show. It's not even close.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer released his 20th album, "Face the Promise," in September, and yielded to fans who begged him to tour for the first time in 10 years.

There begins Seger's predicament. With so many hits, it was easy to put together a strong set list. On the other hand, many great songs couldn't be included in the 120 minute program.

Consequently, Seger trimmed his biggest single, "Shakedown," the theme song from Beverly Hills Cop 2. He cut "Shame on the Moon" and "Still the Same." There was no room for "Fire Lake," "Feel Like a Number" or "Like a Rock," either. Seger's song choices were sure to please some fans but disappoint others.

So what would he play? Well, I knew what I wanted to hear, "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man." My favorite Seger song had capped off an incredible string of hard rock singles including "East Side Story," "Persecution Smith," "Héavy Music," "Looking Back," and "Ivory," which, remarkably were only regional hits. Reaching number 17 on the Billboard singles chart, "Ramblin'" opened Seger's first LP and caught my attention along with many other fans and should have made the hard-working Ann Arbor native a superstar. But it didn't happen due to record company ineptitude.

Despite not succeeding with tons of memorable follow-up singles, Seger continued to record and tour. He deserves kudos for tenacity during those lean years. Seger recorded seven albums, only one of which, "Smokin' O.P.'s," has been issued on CD.

For years, I've heard stories from folks attending pre-fame Seger shows for a $2 admission. He even played concerts in the Upper Peninsula numerous times. But, I didn't go to any of those shows, thinking I'd catch him next time. Then Seger's 10th album,"Night Moves," struck in late 1976 and he no longer performed in northern Michigan.

When Seger announced his 2006 tour schedule, the time was right to see him in concert, at last. My wife Sue and I got tickets to the Nov. 16 concert at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, just the fifth show of the tour, at the cost of $60 a seat, 30 times the early 70s price.

Seger and his Silver Bullet Band performed their first concert since 1996 at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids on Nov. 8. Not wanting a rude surprise in Milwaukee, I got a copy of the set list from the Michigan show. They played Sue's favorite Seger song, "Sunspot Baby," but, unfortunately, "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man" was not included.

Still, my anticipation was high as we took our seats at the Bradley. Just as the set list confirmed, Seger opened the show with "Roll Me Away," and "Tryin' To Live My Life Without You," before launching into "Wreck My Heart," the opening track from the new album. Then came "Mainstreet" and "Old Time Rock & Roll," the song an underwear-clad Tom Cruise so effectively ruined for me in the movie Risky Business. Next came the hard rockin' "Tomorrow" from "Greatest Hits 2," followed by two more new songs. Five additional classics came before intermission: "Betty Lou's Gettin' Out Tonight," "We've Got Tonite," "Turn The Page," "Travelin' Man" and "Beautiful Loser."

After a short break, the group was back on stage with another new track, "Simplicity." Then, to my astonishment, came the unforgettable opening notes of my favorite Seger song, "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man." Seger had dropped a new song and instead performed just this one record from his early years! There he was singing, "Cause I was born lonely, down by the riverside; learned to spin fortune wheels and throw dice." Chuck Berry's "C'est La Vie," "Wait For Me," and "Sightseeing" followed.

He finished the night with nothing but smashes: "Sunspot Baby," "Horizontal Bop," "Katmandu," "Night Moves," "Hollywood Nights," "Against the Wind," and "Rock & Roll Never Forgets."

Seger and his 13-member band, including three female back-up singers and the Motor City Horns, were wildly received by fans, playing a total of 25 songs.

Just one of the evening's highlights came on "Turn the Page." With saxophonist Alto Reed adding effective horn flourishes, Seger took to the piano for the classic tune, which he recalled he "wrote in a small town in Wisconsin in 1972."

Moving continuously across the stage during the evening, Seger showed plenty of energy, singing with unrestrained gusto, and drew cheers when he told fans he was 61. But, because the stage was "old school" there was no video screen. For folks who weren't seated near the front, like us, Seger was about half an inch tall.

The tour will continue into next year, so don't put off seeing one of rock's greatest talents, like I did. But, if you can't see the show, don't be surprised if Seger reviews his song list again in the next year or two for a concert album to put along side classics like "Live Bullet" and "Nine Tonight."

Popular music may have changed in the last decade, not necessarily for the better, but Seger still has his audience and thankfully we still have him.

Old records tell family stories

My Dad brought me a box of old records the other day. I see vintage recordings often, but this collection was different; it was a group of LPs and 45s from our house when I was growing up in the 1950s and 60s.

He pointed out a couple of 78s, too. Many people know 78s as the thick fragile discs played on Victrolas in the World War II era and the decades before.

Dad (you might know him as Don Seymour) told me he bought the recordings in Japan while on leave when he was serving near Seoul during the Korean War in 1950-51. Since I've got a turntable which can play at 78 rpm speed, I thought it would be interesting to give the old platters a spin.

The first disc, on the Victor label, contained the titles "Ginza Kankan Musume" and "Waga Yume, Waga Uta." My Dad recalled soldiers in his outfit singing the first song, which translates to "Ginza Cancan Girl." The song was a pop hit in 1949 and was included in a Japanese film of the period starring Hideko Takamine, who apparently performed the theme song, as well. Pressed on the Columbia label, the second disc included "China Night," which he said reminded him of a soundtrack to a movie depicting a Chinese scene; and a song translated into English as "Hill of Pure Heart."

Manufactured in Yokohama and Kawasaki, the discs credit the artists only in Japanese characters, making further identification difficult.

Dad chuckled upon recognizing songs he hadn't heard in half a century or more. Another record in the box, meanwhile, elicited outright laughter from my brothers and sisters.

You may recall David Seville and The Chipmunks who captured number one on the Billboard top singles chart in 1958 with both "Witch Doctor" and "The Chipmunk Song." Born Ross Bagdaserian, Seville created and provided the voices of cartoon characters Alvin, Simon and Theodore, beloved by generations of children.

My siblings were shocked when I revealed to them the long-play record they remembered was actually by another group, The Grasshoppers. "You're kidding!" remarked my sister Karen Germain. Yes, it seems The Chipmunks were so phenomenally popular, eventually spawning a animated television series and 22 hits, that imitators appeared.

The Grasshoppers-- Dennis, Archie and Rickey-- were even so bold as to record their own version of "The Chipmunk Song," adding to the the cartoon character confusion among the young people of America. In fact, The Grasshoppers probably equalled or surpassed The Chipmunks in sales as their album, aimed at the budget conscious customer, was issued in dozens of versions over the years.

The edition in the Seymour family collection appeared on the Parade label and allowed kids to sing along with those musical bugs on such songs as "Big Rock Candy Mountain," "On Top of Old Smokey," and "Glow Worm." The novelty group added to the disarray, intentionally or not, by also including a cover of "Alvin's Harmonica," by the rival Chipmunks.

The Grasshoppers never had enough cache to get a TV series, but they were sharp dressers, especially for insects, wearing straw hats, red vests and green and black striped bow-ties on the record cover.

As The Chipmunks enjoyed their final hit with "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" in late 1962, the Seymour family's music interest switched to a piano player born in Denmark named Bent Fabricius-Bjerre. Actually this musician smartly dropped the last section in his name and became simply Bent Fabric. His signature composition was called "Alley Cat," for which he received a Grammy award in 1963 for best rock 'n' roll recording. In Danish, "Alley Cat," appearing on the Atco label, was known as "Around the Piano," a title record executives didn't think would entice the American record buying public.

Some folks moved nimbly to a dance invented just for the song and played it at weddings and dance parties. As children, we heard "Alley Cat," dozens of times as our parents learned to square dance while that catchy instrumental played on the hi-fi in the basement.

Mom and Dad belonged to a local square dance group, and danced to waltzes, polkas and western swing numbers by the likes of The Four Notes, Al Russ, and The Southernaires. Those 45s even came with lyric sheets so the tune could be "called" for the dancers.

The box of old records also contained an album of big band tunes with titles many older people recall fondly such as "Song of India," by Tommy Dorsey; "Sing, Sing, Sing" by Benny Goodman; and "I Can't Get Started," by Bunny Berigan. The two disc set also includes the original versions of "Begin the Beguine," by Artie Shaw; "In the Mood," by Glenn Miller;" and "Take the 'A' Train," by Duke Ellington. Also represented in the family collection were numerous LPs by Ray Conniff, which I remember buying at a local dime store to give to my parents as Christmas gifts. During the 1960s, Conniff produced an average three albums (two instrumental and one vocal) every year. He even mined gold in 1966 with a Top Ten take on "Somewhere My Love," also known as "Laura's Theme," from the classic movie Dr. Zhivago.

So, there you have it, a few family stories as told by a box of old records.

Dr. Demento spins camp songs

Nationally recognized radio personality Dr. Demento knows his novelty songs and has actively promoted hunting tunes by Da Yoopers and Bananas at Large to the delight of his many fans.

Demento, also known as Barry Hansen, isn't a hunter himself, but he's played "Second Week of Deer Camp" and "Da Turdy Point Buck" on his syndicated weekly radio program dozens of times.

Da Yoopers, based in Ishpeming, have been Upper Peninsula favorites for more than two decades, with "Second Week," written by Joe Potila and Jim DeCaire, probably their biggest hit. Demento said the song, clocking in at just under three minutes, "was a monster hit on our show in 1988, and still gets requests every hunting season. Same goes for 'Da Turdy Point Buck,' which we first aired in 1991," he added.

I asked Demento, owner of the world's largest collection of novelty and comedy recordings, why those two songs struck a chord with his listeners.

"Before 'Second Week' there'd never been a good funny song that celebrated deer hunting in the north woods. Since a lot of people are passionate about that, Da Yoopers had an instant audience.

"There had been hunting songs before that, but they were all southern, so with their colorful northern accent, Da Yoopers created something new and unique and had an instant jukebox hit clear across the northern tier, anywhere from Maine to Washington where deer hunters gathered to hoist a few.

"I've never hunted deer, but as a northerner, born and raised in Minneapolis, I was all too happy to hear a funny song that celebrated the culture of my part of the country."

"Da Turdy Point Buck," meanwhile, was recorded by Bananas at Large, a trio of "weirdos" (their word) from Amherst Junction, Wis., who tracked the successful footsteps of Da Yoopers.

Written by Mike Skurek, Gary Nilsen and Shane Totten, the song, appearing on Impact Media, consumes a radio-challenging five minutes and 12 seconds. The disc's cover sports a familiar fluorescent orange color and the drawing of an amazingly-antlered snorting buck, demolishing a firearm while a bullet whistles through his ears.

The good doctor had some insight into that deer season classic, as well.

Demento said the Bananas at Large recording "added a new wrinkle with its great storyline and its sly use of rap and reggae and became even more popular." Still, the Wisconsin group "didn't have quite the success making a career out of it that Da Yoopers did," Demento added.

Da Yoopers are immortalized on the Dr. Demento "25th Anniversary Collection," a compact disc set on Rhino Records. The opening track on the 34-cut album is "Smells Like Nirvana," a smash hit by "Weird Al" Yankovic, who's career Demento helped launch. He's played Yankovic's music on his radio program since 1976 when the Grammy winner was sending him homemade tapes while still in high school.

Demento is a classmate of well-known slide guitarist Ry Cooder, and in his early days served as a roadie for blues heavies Canned Heat as well as Spirit, who had a hit with "I Got a Line on You." He was later employed by Specialty Records and compiled 35 reissue albums for the label. In addition, he worked for Warner Brothers on their acclaimed "Loss Leaders" series of double-LP sampler albums during the early 70s.

A classical music graduate of Reed College in Portland, Ore., Demento has operated his weekly radio program for over 35 years. Now 65, he lives in Los Angeles with his wife Sue.

Continuing to record on the You Guys Records imprint, Da Yoopers are preparing their ninth album called "21st Century Yoopers in Space." Bananas at Large count three compact discs and a video release to their credit.

As deer hunting season approaches in Michigan, it may be time to give these two fall anthems another spin, just for laughs.

You know Dr. Demento will be doing just that.

Island Casino's blues acts shine

With major entertainment being offered twice a month in recent years, the Island Resort and Casino has often stressed country and oldies acts.

Yet, the Harris-based casino has also hosted a series of great blues performers, including the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Jim Belushi and George Thorogood. My wife Sue and I were impressed by all four shows.

Today's Thunderbirds, featuring harmonica master Kim Wilson and firebrand lead guitarist Kid Ramos, kick started a national blues revival in the early 80s, and were the perfect act to launch the casino's foray into the genre.

Of course, if you're a blues fan you know Stevie Ray Vaughan's older brother Jimmie was the original lead guitarist in the T-Birds when they burst upon the scene more than two decades ago with four incredible albums.

By the time of the band's appearance locally, "Tuff Enuff," had scored hit status, but Vaughan had departed for a solo career. Demonstrating some muscular guitar power during a show on Nov. 25, 2000, Ramos ably showed why he was a fit replacement.

Along with veteran keyboardist Gene Taylor, the Texas-based band tore through its repertoire, including "My Babe," "The Things I Used To Do," and "Wrap It Up." Actually, the program was more jam than hit-driven with Wilson blowing some lung-challenging harp solos, to the delight of the crowd, while alternately showcasing his baritone-tinged vocals.

Another fine show was headlined by blues sensation Kenny Wayne Shepherd along with the influential Double Trouble, Stevie Ray Vaughan's original rhythm section. Comprised of bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton, Double Trouble had recently put out a disc, "Been a Long Time," featuring different guest singers on each cut.

Shepherd, born in Shreveport, was just ten days shy of his 24th birthday when he appeared on June 2, 2001. The young guitarist, sounding like a seasoned pro, played tracks from his "Ledbetter Heights" compact disc, including the memorable "Blue on Black," which had earned considerable radio play.

Pacing the stage, Shepherd drew roars of approval from the audience with his fiery technique.

You might think of Jim Belushi mainly as an actor, with credits ranging from television's "According to Jim," to numerous movie roles, but there's more to him than that. True, he has a likable personality and good sense of humor, but he can sing the blues, too.

He proved that on stage on March 23, 2002, during an appearance with the Sacred Hearts. Belushi, no slouch on harmonica, led the band through a raucous set including "29 Ways," "36-24-36," and "Born in Chicago," changing the Paul Butterfield Blues Band song's original 1941 reference to 1951.

A master at building rapport with the audience, Jim showed why his late brother John wasn't the only member of the Belushi family who could relate to the blues.

Delaware native George Thorogood, meanwhile, brought his FM hit-filled show to the casino on May 28, 2005. Thorogood has a audience-pleasing formula, and doesn't stray too far from riffs originating in the Chuck Berry songbook. Dressed in black, the 2005 Billboard magazine Blues Artist of the Year took the crowd through thirty years of blues-rock classics.

As you might expect, he did "Bad to the Bone," "Born to be Bad," and the John Lee Hooker song he made his own,"One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer." You might not expect mature women to scream, but they did for Thorogood, bringing a sly smile to his face.

In just a few years, the casino hosted a series of outstanding blues performers that in the past you would have had to travel to see. Hopefully management will continue to book such acts as the casino readies its new 1,300-seat showroom.

Local audiences would surely love to see blues legends like B. B. King, Buddy Guy or Robert Cray. Wouldn't you?

Friends pay tribute to 'Smiley'

Some people called it a family get together. One likened it to a class reunion with all the people you like.

Those observations were made by fans attending last Saturday's tribute to Jim "Smiley" Lewis at the Terrace Bay Inn.

Hundreds of people, including many out-of- towners, packed the motel's ballroom for a ten-hour show, which included dozens of well-known local, regional and national performers. Most were friends of Smiley, who died from diabetes complications on Aug. 13, 2005 at the age of 57.

Musicians from Milwaukee, Lansing, Green Bay, and around the Upper Peninsula lined up to pay their musical respects to the Escanaba native who took up music as a teenager and played in numerous bands, building a reputation as a respected blues and rock-a-billy artist.

Headlining the benefit, which aided the Delta Area Animal Society, was Las Vegas based "Big Al" Ek, an accomplished singer and multi-instrumentalist who performed with Smiley in The Shuffle-aires. Other players to take the stage included keyboardist Steve "Doc" Yankee of Lansing, saxophonist Bob Jennings of Milwaukee and local favorites, The Lark Brothers- Dave, Sam and Bill.

In fact, guitarist Dave Lark conceived the idea of a concert to pay tribute to his friend. The two were in various bands together including Salvador Foxx and The Blues Bombers. Lark contacted Ek, another close friend of Smiley, and the two got the "ball rolling" for the event which took several months to plan. Soon other performers indicated their desire to play.

With so many musicians ready to take the stage and little time to practice, much of the show was dedicated to jam sessions. To get the program going early, a group including Ek and the Larks opened the show at mid-afternoon. The strategy worked. Fans came early and stayed.

Many of the musicians grew up in the Escanaba area and performed in various bands through the years before moving to greener pastures. Most found they still had fans here.

"Never before has there been so much talent oozing out of one room," said Greg Tolman, a musician who has judged numerous Island Idol talent contests at the local casino.

Most of the performances were blues or rock-a-billy, although Jay Brodersen of Escanaba teamed with John Parrott of Milwaukee for an acoustic jazz set. Bands Sit Down Francis and Terracotta Half Life added some rock music to the mix.

The night even included the surprise appearance of Fast Eddie, a veteran harmonica player from Marquette, and his band Blues Trust.

"This is just so cool," said Escanaba music teacher John Beck, echoing many people's feelings about the turnout of musicians and fans.

Beck took to the stage himself, playing a rousing guitar solo. Two sets of skins were required to accommodate drummers Keith Balistreri, Dave Cass, Rich White, Craig Seckinger, Ron Patron and Dave Braun.

Former Escanaba resident Mike Riegel, now based in Sheboygan, also lit up the room with his inventive lead guitar work. Other notable performers included Dean Peterson, Bruce Douglas, Fred Cavill, and Mike and John Waldsmith.

While people were enjoying themselves on the dance floor, talking with old friends, or just delighting in the jams, most were aware the entertaining day evolved from the passing of a friend.

Smiley was remembered during the event with a specially designed "Blues Cat" t-shirt and the re-release of his 1991 album, "No Explanation Necessary," now available on compact disc. A slide show depicting his life in pictures was a popular attraction as was a display of many posters from his music career.

As the show closed, Ek complimented the crowd. "This is why I brag about you in Las Vegas. You have to have a closing time here, or you won't go home." He offered more praise. "Wendy Pepin did the whole thing. Don't let anybody fool you," Ek said about organizing the concert.

The day was a success by any measure. Dozens of talented musicians donated their time to play before hundreds of fans in celebration of Smiley's musical legacy. And, even with all that fun, money was raised for his favorite charity.

Smiley would have been pleased.

Happy Birthday, Chuck Berry!

Rock music pioneer Chuck Berry marked his 80th birthday on Oct. 18, but music fans should be the ones celebrating.

You see, Berry was the original rock 'n' roller. Whatever happened in pop music since he arrived wouldn't have happened without him.

While Elvis had a longer career, Berry's was equally influential and, unlike Presley, he wrote his own songs. In fact, Berry combined his poems and music in such a perfect way, you might say he invented rock 'n' roll.

As he observed his 29th birthday in 1955, Berry's debut, "Maybelline," hit number five on the Billboard singles chart. You may recall the invigorating lyrics: "As I was motivatin' over the hill, I saw Maybelline in a Coupe de Ville. Cadillac rollin' on an open road, but nothin' outrun my V-8 Ford." He followed with "School Day" and "Sweet Little Sixteen," in a chart run that included 27 entries.

Nearly every band learned Berry's songs, including The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. John, Paul, George and Ringo made "Roll Over Beethoven" into an international hit, while Mick and the boys did the same with "Carol." Even headbangers Judas Priest recorded "Johnny B. Goode."

Successful bar bands included lots of his material in their sets. While plenty of cover bands played Berry songs, I saw the master himself perform just twice.

The first time was in the fall of 1972 during a free outdoor show on the campus of Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant. The veteran musician and his back-up players, (The Woolies from East Lansing, famous for "Who Do You Love") plowed through the Berry catalogue and capped the show with a sing-a-long version of his number one "My Ding-A-Ling."

I witnessed a second Berry performance in 1995 during the all-star show for the opening of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Deservedly, he both opened and closed the prestigious concert.

At the age of 68, Berry demonstrated an agile version of his signature "duck walk." To a roar of approval from the crowd of 65,000, Berry squatted and hopped along on one foot while continuing to play his guitar. Adding some class to the program, he played his timeless classics "Johnny B. Goode" and "Rock & Roll Music" dressed in a white tuxedo while most of the other stars wore casual apparel.

Berry has had some noteworthy birthdays.

Federal officials gave him a special gift for his 37th birthday on Oct. 18, 1963, when they released him from prison. Berry had been convicted under the Mann Act for transporting an under-age girl across state lines for the purpose of prostitution. Many think the musician was set-up by authorities during a racist era. (He was incarcerated again in 1979 for income tax evasion.)

Still, following his release from the Federal Medical Center in Springfield, Mo., Berry issued six successful singles he had written in prison, including "Nadine" and "No Particular Place To Go," reviving his career at the peak of the British music invasion. Ironically, many of those upstart bands gained their popularity by releasing their own versions of Berry's records.

For Berry's 60th birthday, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards spearheaded the filming of a documentary, "Hail! Hail! Rock 'N' Roll." An all-star cast of musical greats played at the 1986 concert at the Fox Theater in Berry's hometown of St. Louis. Performers included Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Bo Diddley, Everly Brothers, Bruce Springsteen, Linda Ronstadt, and Little Richard. Berry was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame that same year.

Despite his contributions to modern music, Berry has also been the victim of prejudice and harassment from the government, leaving him an embittered man. While he's given us such a great legacy, it's a shame rock 'n' roll hasn't always been kind in return.

So thanks Chuck for a lifetime of great songs about cars and girls and other important things. Your seemingly simple yet insightful lyrics and innovative guitar riffs are seared into my brain and the skulls of millions of other rock 'n' roll fans.

As you blow out those candles, here's a happy birthday wish to you. Rock on!

Coffey learned guitar in U.P.

A musical trail from original country superstar Hank Williams Sr. to the greatest Motown hits of the sixties and seventies goes through the Upper Peninsula.

The community which ties these diverse musical styles together is Copper City, a town of just a few hundred folks located in the Keweenaw Peninsula.

It was there in the early 1950's that a teenager from Detroit went on vacation to visit his musically inclined relatives.

"Old" Hank, who died tragically at age 29, was the most popular country & western performer of the era.

Certainly that popularity extended into tiny Copper City, temporary home to a 13-year-old visitor named Dennis Coffey. "I used to visit there every summer to see my grandparents on my mother's side," he recalled. "They were Finns and their last name was Rinne."

Coffey's U. P. cousins, Jim and Marilyn Thompson, played guitar and sang country music, hooking the Detroit native on the sounds emanating from the six-stringed instrument.

"The first song I ever learned to play lead guitar on was probably (bluegrass standard) 'Under the Double Eagle.' My cousins taught me that song and how to play some basic chords," Coffey told me. The aspiring guitarist set about practicing, even when he returned home to the lower peninsula, using an old Hawaiian slide guitar he received as a gift.

Coffey also learned songs written by his favorite star, Hank Sr. In addition to country, he studied rockabilly, rock 'n' roll, blues, rhythm and blues, and jazz. His practicing paid off, too. By 1955, Coffey had added guitar to "I'm Gone," a recording by a little known performer called Vic Gallon.

In the following years, Coffey joined the Royaltones, an instrumental rock 'n' roll band, and worked as a session guitarist for independent labels around the Detroit area.

Then in 1962, Coffey met Del Shannon, a fellow Michigander who had gigantic hits with "Runaway" and "Hats Off To Larry." Coffey added guitar to the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer's "Little Town Flirt" later that year.

Shannon, it turns out, also admired Williams, and proved it by recording 12 of his songs, including "Your Cheatin' Heart" and "Hey, Good Looking," for an album issued in 1965. Coffey provided guitar on the groundbreaking LP, a precursor to country/rock releases which appeared later in the decade.

Coffey had taken a funky turn by 1968, joining the staff of Berry Gordy's Motown Records, "The Sound of Young America." On his first day he crafted the memorable guitar intro to the Temptations' "Cloud Nine," a number six smash.

As a member of the legendary Funk Brothers house band, this unsung guitar hero played on more than a hundred Motown hits, including Edwin Starr's "War," Freda Payne's "Band of Gold," and Junior Walker's "What Does It Take To Win Your Love."

By 1971, Coffey was on the charts himself with the instrumental "Scorpio," an influential funk work-out on the Sussex label which reached number six on the Billboard chart and number one around the Detroit area. Along with the Detroit Guitar Band, Coffey recorded a follow-up single, "Taurus," which also struck gold.

"Scorpio," with its innovative guitar and drum breaks, has been sampled in numerous recordings in recent years, but is now sadly out-of-print. In all, Coffey recorded 13 solo albums, including a 2003 effort called "Flight of the Phoenix." He also wrote the music score for the Warner Bros. film "Black Belt Jones."

In 2002, he appeared in the documentary "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" and published his autobiography, "Guitars, Bars and Motown Superstars" in 2004.

Born in 1940, Coffey still gigs around Detroit, most notably at the world's oldest jazz club, Baker's Keyboard Lounge, where he recently recorded a live CD.

"I have performed in England and recently played at the Ponderosa Stomp in Memphis, a benefit for Katrina victims. I have also performed on the Four Tops 50th Anniversary special and the Rhythm, Love and Soul PBS special," Coffey said, bringing his activities up to date.

Despite his success, many music devotees aren't familiar with Coffey's work. Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has tried to rectify that with a display including a copy of the sheet music for "Scorpio" as well as a wah-wah pedal and fuzz tone from his Motown days.

Reflecting on his career, it's clear Coffey took his Upper Peninsula guitar inspiration on a lifelong journey that's impacted millions of fans who have enjoyed his significant, if under-recognized, contribution to modern music.

When disco dominated, briefly

The disco fad may have been short lived but it held sway in Escanaba for a few years.

Fueled by a national obsession over the 1977 movie "Saturday Night Fever," starring John Travolta, the dance craze spread to every corner of the country.

Escanaba boasted three discos:

--Back Door Disco, 1214 Ludington St., now offices for certified public accountant Kathleen J. Paulson. Owned by Edwin Young, the dance club was located above Mr. Ed's Grotto North.

--The Station, 1837 3rd Ave. N., owned by Jon Anderson, now Fish & More.

--Sherman Lounge, 710 Ludington St., owned by Duane and Judy Hamelin. The business changed hands several times over the years and was eventually destroyed in a fire. A fourth disco in the area, Ford River's Pier One, was also leveled by fire.

The local clubs featured colorful synchronized dance floors and deejay booths, all bathed in the swirling light of disco balls.

Disc jockeys, like Mike VanEffen, armed with dual turntables, kept the vinyl hits revolving and patrons on the floor.

Lessons were also available so dancers could learn the latest moves inspired by the BeeGees or Donna Summer, the "Queen of Disco."

In fashion, polyester leisure suits and platform shoes were the rage.

Rock 'n' roll bands took a hit during the disco era as live venues switched to deejays and flashy lights, forcing some musicians into the unemployment line.

Other bands adapted. Many of the biggest rock bands recorded disco songs.

As you might expect, disco took over the airwaves as well.

One of the era's biggest hits was also one of the last. "Funkytown," by Lipps, Inc. (pronounced lip-synch), spent four weeks at number one on the Billboard top pop singles chart beginning May 31, 1980.

During a business trip to lower Michigan for the Upper Peninsula Commission for Area Progress (UPCAP), co-worker Bill Cook and I happened on to Lipps, Inc. performing at a club in East Lansing while their song was firmly ensconced at the top of the hit list.

The group and song were masterminded by Minneapolis writer and producer Steven Greenberg, who has seen the tune, issued as Casablanca 2233, earn him royalties for over 25 years.

Vocalist Cynthia Johnson, singing "Won't you take me to Funkytown," led the multi-racial band through several sets while keeping the dance floor packed mainly with Michigan State University students from across the street, all presumably over the age of 21.

Back in Escanaba, however, the local discos didn't have a built-in clientele of 45,000 college kids when the drinking age was returned to 21 in 1978, after six years at 18.

Dan Young remembers his dad's Back Door Disco as being "very successful until the drinking age was increased to 21. However, disco was almost over by 1981 or '82 anyway."

"Disco sucks" bumper stickers were seen on more and more vehicles and many dance floors and deejay booths fell silent around the country. Disco had suffered a backlash.

Still, "Funkytown" didn't go away. The song has been featured in numerous television programs, commercials and movies, including "Shrek 2." Singer Johnson, meanwhile, formerly a secretary at Maplewood Police Department, performs regularly in Minneapolis area jazz clubs.

By the way, disco didn't die. It just morphed into dance music. You know, the stuff Madonna does.

The leisure suit, on the other hand, is gone forever, hopefully.

Furthur Festival was hot ticket

A huge concert draw in 1996, the Furthur Fesival was a hot ticket in more ways than one.

Named after the uniquely spelled destination shown on Ken Kesey and The Merry Pranksters' bus during their 1964 journey across America, the festival evolved from the death of Jerry Garcia in 1995.

Garcia's passing led to a decision by the surviving members of the Grateful Dead, that the long-lived psychedelic band would call it quits rather than replace their beloved leader with a new lead guitarist.

But the 30-year-long Grateful Dead trip didn't end with the band's announcement. In the following months it was revealed that singer and guitarist Bob Weir, drummer Mickey Hart, and a line-up of other bands would stage a summer tour.

The performers included Weir's Ratdog, Hart's Mystery Box, Bruce Hornsby, Los Lobos, Hot Tuna, Alvin Youngblood Hart, John Wesley Harding, and to add to the carnival atmosphere many fans expected, the Flying Karamazov Brothers.

My wife Sue and I quickly set about getting tickets for a show at Alpine Valley in East Troy, Wis. scheduled for June 29. While we were elated to get tickets for the concert by mail order, we were disappointed we had to settle for lawn tickets rather than the reserved seats we wanted.

Still, our excitement mounted, as did the temperature, on the morning of the show. Leaving Escanaba, we traveled south as the mercury continued to climb. By the time we reached Milwaukee it was well over 90 degrees, and in a car without air conditioning, we were beginning to suffer.

Our outlook improved in the early afternoon as we neared our motel room in the resort community of Lake Geneva, where we expected to find cooler conditions. But, their air conditioning didn't work.

So, after a brief respite, we headed to the Alpine Valley amphitheatre to take our lawn seats under the stifling sun.

To our surprise, at the gate we discovered that reserve tickets were indeed still available. We quickly sold our original tickets, got the better ones and prepared to take out seats in the covered pavilion area in front of the stage.

We had precious shade and great seats for the 4 p. m. show, only the seventh of the tour.

With such a mammoth concert and so many performers playing in different combinations, it's difficult to remember what order they appeared in, but highlights of the show are easy to recall.

Ratdog was clearly under Weir's leadership as they performed some classics and a few Dead covers, such as "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl," "Wang Dang Doddle," and "Throwing Stones." Weir had a special piano player in his band in Johnnie Johnson, the person refered to in Chuck Berry's immortal song, "Johnny Be Goode." Seeing Johnson perform the tune he inspired was a sentimental high point.

Hart's Mystery Box, a 12-piece band, brought percussion to a new level with "Fire on the Mountain," complete with a group of female singers called the Mint Julips.

Bruce Hornsby, who occasionally sat in with the Grateful Dead following the death of keyboardist Brent Mydland and had a No. 1 hit with "The Way It Is," gave his all with "Spider Fingers," "Western Skyline" and "Jack Straw."

Los Lobos, the East Los Angeles outfit fronted by David Hildago and Ceasar Rosas, paid their respects with "Angel Dance," "Evangeline," "Cinnamon Girl," and Dead favorite "Bertha."

Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady, who dropped out of Jefferson Airplane in 1972 to form Hot Tuna, entertained the crowd with a memorable version of "Keep on Truckin'."

Other performers included bluesman Hart, who did a Robert Johnson styled set; British singer-songwriter Harding, who performed "When the Beatles Hit America;" and the Flying Karamazov Brothers. The acrobatic troupe seemed to need a little additional practice, flubbing many of their stunts.

But, the show wasn't about acrobatics anyway, and the crowd knew enough to supply its own circus-like tone to the procedings.

As midnight approached, many of the performers grouped on stage as the show ended with a half-hour jam before an appreciative, if sweaty, audience.

Sue and I remember it as a hot show, no matter how you look at it.

Badfinger's tragic past revisited

There is no more tragic story in rock than Badfinger, the promising band decimated by a pair of suicides despite having a handful of hit singles.

Given that, seeing surviving member Joey Molland perform in 1996 was a bittersweet experience.

The original band, guitarist Pete Ham, bassist Tom Evans, drummer Mike Gibbins and Molland, also on guitar, recorded four albums for Apple Records and two more for Warner Bros.

They came away with five significant hits. Between 1970 and 1972, the band struck gold with some of my favorite songs, including "Come And Get It," "No Matter What," "Day After Day," and "Baby Blue." In addition, Harry Nilsson polished a Badfinger album track, "Without You," written by Ham and Evans, and recorded a version which topped the charts for four weeks.

Having a connection with the Beatles didn't hurt either. John Lennon named the group, Paul McCartney wrote "Come And Get It," and George Harrison produced and played guitar on their biggest hit, "Day After Day."

In fact, Badfinger was the first group signed to Apple and easily the most successful, outside the Beatles themselves.

The group played acoustic guitars during Harrison's high profile charity event, "The Concert for Bangladesh," held at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 1, 1971.

But all was not peaches and cream for Badfinger, despite their success.

By the mid-70s, Apple Records was collapsing and the band was increasingly plagued by financial woes. Badfinger's finely-crafted Warner albums didn't alleviate their money problems.

Unable to receive royalties, broke and broken, Ham hanged himself in his garage studio on April 24, 1975, three days before his 28th birthday.

Following Ham's death the band broke-up, but Molland and Evans reformed the group three years later.

After recording some material with moderate success, including "Love Is Gonna Come At Last" and "Hold On," Evans also became increasingly depressed over financial concerns and in a replay of Ham's death, hanged himself in his garden on Nov. 19, 1983, age 36. The tragedy happened after Evans and Molland argued over the telephone, allegedly about royalties.

Surviving members of the band continued to suffer financially until a 1985 court settlement, including the estates of Ham and Evans, resolved differences over those royalties.

In the years since, Molland has toured as Joey Molland's Badfinger and appeared at a fan convention at Chicago's Hyatt Regency O'Hare Hotel on Aug. 16-18, 1996.

My wife Sue and I were present when he performed Badfinger's hits that weekend, although faithful re-creations were impossible due to the absence of original vocalists Ham and Evans. Certainly, Molland and the audience were both painfully aware of the obvious loss.

Today, Badfinger's influence continues to be felt. Songstress Mariah Carey also fashioned a monster hit with her take on "Without You," and Def Leppard mined "No Matter What" for a standout track on their "Yeah Yeah Yeah" album released earlier this year. Several posthumous Pete Ham demo collections have been released, pointing to his genius as a songwriter.

But, bad omens have continued to haunt Badfinger.

Like Molland, Badfinger drummer Mike Gibbins also attended fan conventions at the Chicago Hyatt, including Aug. 17-19, 2001 when he was selling a compact disc he recorded called "More Annoying Songs." Unfortunately, Gibbins died in his sleep at his home in Florida on Oct. 4, 2005, age 56, leaving Molland as the sole surviving original member of Badfinger.

Molland lives in Minnesota with his wife Kathie and is reportedly working on a definitive history of the band. But, like the song says, "no matter what" he writes, it's bound to be a tragic story indeed.

Concert nuisances explained

Certainly, if you've been to many concerts, you've encountered a few annoyances, irritations or nuisances along the way.

I know I have.

I'm not talking about poor sound, dirty toilets or expensive vendors, either.

It's people.

Not everybody, of course, but some specific types.

For your convenience, I've distilled the troublesome folks into categories: the dancer, the shouter, the smoker, the drinker, the singer, the cheerleader, the taper, the sleeper and the talker.

Who are these these party animals, determined to ruin your good time? I'll explain, so you can avoid them, if possible.

Determined to shake her booty, the dancer pops up in front of you, obscuring your view of the performer you've paid hard-earned money to see. The dancer has endless energy, rarely sits down, and usually has way too much booty shaking.

Making his presence known by hollering insane things at the stage, the shouter can also take aim at no one in particular. A classic example is the fan who yells "Free Bird" even though, to his amazement, he's not at a Lynyrd Skynyrd show. He'll also scream "Detroit" or "rock 'n' roll" for no apparent reason.

The smoker comes in degrees. The Marlboro man usually takes just a few minutes and a small portion of your lung capacity. The cigar aficionado, with a 99 cent special, is determined to let everyone in the general area catch a whiff of him, but never fires up a quality Cuban number. Nobody, however, seems to mind the old hippie puffing on a "funny" cigarette.

Just looking for a good time, the drinker tries and tries to soothe his parched pipes. Unfortunately, these Budweiser buddies work with the smallest bladders, requiring you to get up from your seat every five minutes so they can to go to the restroom or make another beer run. Oddly, they never sit on the end of a row, only in the middle. Closely related is the drunkard. You're happy if he doesn't fall on you, vomit nearby, or drive himself home.

Assuming he or she is as talented as the performer on stage is the singer. Thus, you get Paul McCartney singing the melodic "Hey Jude," in your left ear, while a vocally inept fan croons an off-key version in your right. Making it even worse, these musically challenged individuals seldom know the lyrics, so they have to make them up.

Compelled to wave her hands, her hat, a sign or flag, the cheerleader is an overly enthusiastic fan trying desperately to attract the attention of the performer. They rarely do, but manage to quickly annoy you.

Taking great satisfaction in gaining entry to the show with forbidden gear is the taper. These industrious types bring in recording equipment so they can capture the concert for posterity. With machines tucked into their arm pits, tapers usually produce a recording that preserves whole bunches of whispering and distant sounding guitar solos. So much for posterity.

Partying so hard in advance to a show he's been hoping to see all his life, the sleeper burns out early and dozes through the performance. If he's lucky, he dreams about the concert and someone wakes him up when it's over.

The talker, meanwhile, is the guy in the row ahead of you who gets together with some mindless yappers behind you to catch up on the latest news or reminisce while you're trying to appreciate the concert. Impossible to ignore, these verbose characters have no idea what "shh" means. They show no respect for their neighbors or the performer and don't shut up until they're walking out of the venue after the event. Apparently, these chatterboxes can't walk and talk at the same time.

If you've ever sat near me at a concert, don't be offended, I'm not grumbling about you. It's the other guy.

But, if you actually are that guy, cut it out, I'm trying to enjoy the show.

Blues Fest was 'superior' event

If you want to put a tag on the third annual Blues Fest, which took place Sept. 2 and 3 in Marquette, call it superior, just like the big lake next to the event's main stage.

Held at Mattson Lower Harbor Park, the program featured top name entertainment, including Bernard Allison, Saffire- The Uppity Blues Women, Reverend Raven, and Ana Popovic in a setting where the Upper Peninsula's natural beauty complemented first-rate musical performances, delighting several thousand festival-goers.

Superbly organized by the non-profit Marquette Area Blues Society, the event has grown into a regional attraction over the Labor Day weekend, putting a musical bang into the traditional end of the summer tourism season.

As well run as any such festival around the country, Blues Fest also offered competitive food vendors (Cajun catfish, anyone?), various blues-related workshops, and an opportunity to meet the performers.

Saturday's audience saw performances by Alberta Adams, Saffire, and the horn-driven Chicago Rhythm and Blues Kings.

Adams, grand dame of Detroit blues, commanded the stage with the seasoned experience of a singer who has performed for more than 60 years. Born in 1925, the Cannonball Records recording artist ably recalled some of the classic blues divas of earlier decades. She became a sentimental favorite with an endearing performance of her song, "Remember Me."

The historical perspective offered by Adams was carried on by Saffire, which took the stage next. A popular attraction on the festival circuit, Saffire includes pianist Ann Rabson, guitarist Gaye Adegbalola and mandolin player Andra Faye McIntosh.

During a crowd-pleasing set, they performed a quirky mix of risque originals and interpretations of blues gems from the pre-World War II period by the likes of Bessie Smith, Memphis Minnie and Lucille Bogan.

The day was capped-off with the big sound of the Chicago Rhythm & Blues Kings, formerly known as the Mellow Fellows. The six- piece combo, built around saxophonists Terry Ogolini and Gene Barge with trumpeter Don Tenuto, put a little jazz, some swing and a bit of soul into their version of the blues.

While Saturday was fine, Sunday's line-up was even better.

Reverend Raven, born and raised in Chicago, but based in Milwaukee, is familiar to U. P. audiences, having made numerous appearances in the area, including Marquette, Gladstone and Escanaba. Referring to a recent illness, Raven said, "I had a bad incident in Memphis about three years ago, but I'm back now."

Along with his Chain Smokin' Altar Boys, he put on an inspired performance, including two tracks by songwriter Jim Liban, proving why this outfit was named best blues band in Wisconsin three times.

Next up came an unscheduled surprise guest in Canadian bluesman Anthony Gomes. Gomes, who was a headliner at the first Blues Fest, put on a rousing acoustic performance. On tour through the end of the year, the Toronto native was supporting his new album "Music Is the Medicine."

An appealing blues/rock combination, by way of the former Yugoslavia, followed with the appearance of the vivacious Ana Popovic, a talented singer, songwriter and guitarist. Born in Belgrade, Popovic was introduced to the blues via her father's record collection, and now, at age 30, is signed to Ruf Records, a German label.

Singing with the slightest accent, Popovic played songs from her three CD's, including a stunning tribute to her blues heroes, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Ronnie Earl, with the instrumental "Navajo Moon."

Popovic has also been influenced by Bernard Allison, another Ruf recording star, who, coincidentally was headliner for the day. Son of blues great Luther Allison, the lead guitarist showed the audience that he learned a thing or two from his famous father.

In his set, Allison played a tribute to his dad, made his six-string "talk," and wandered through the crowd, guitar ablaze, driving his performance to a frenzied end.

All in all, my wife Sue and I enjoyed an entertaining weekend along the beautiful Lake Superior shoreline in Marquette in what for us has become an annual excursion to Blues Fest.

The fourth Blues Fest will arrive before you know it. Don't miss it. We won't.

Savage Grace, SRC bill missed

One of the best rock concerts I never saw took place on Saturday, May 23, 1970 at the Northern Michigan University Fieldhouse in Marquette.

Yes, I'm talking about a twin bill featuring Savage Grace and SRC, perhaps the hottest bands in Michigan, that I didn't attend.

Fact is I didn't even find out about the show until decades after it took place.

You see, I was checking out a used SRC album I bought, called "Traveler's Tale," when I noticed the inner sleeve contained a poster and unused ticket to a concert featuring a pair of great bands, homegrown right here in Michigan.

The psychedelic-styled poster shows two yin-yang symbols and an eye with this cryptic text: "Telephone poles are tall. Who cares? Buddha does!" and the words "Wah Wah." The poster also lists a third band, "The Walrus," and is signed Szluk. Numbered 00545, the ticket listed single admission at $2.

At the time of this show, Michigan had a thriving rock 'n' roll scene, which besides Savage Grace and SRC, included the MC5, Bob Seger System, Ted Nugent and the Amboy Dukes, Mitch Ryder, the Stooges, Frost, Third Power and the Rationals.

Since I didn't go to this concert, I thought I'd contact someone who did. So, I got in touch with Al Jacquez, lead vocalist and bass player for Savage Grace.

I asked Jacquez, who lives in the Detroit area, what he recalled about the show. "That was a long time ago. I remember that SRC was very well rehearsed and I thought some of their songs were strong. We all had much more fun than we deserved," said Jacquez, who was college age himself at the time.

Besides Jacquez, the band consisted of guitar wizard Ron Koss, keyboardist John Seanor and drummer Larry Zack. At the time of the Marquette show, the band had released a self-titled debut album and closed its shows with a barn-burning version of the Bob Dylan by-way-of Jimi Hendrix song "All Along the Watchtower."

Jacquez recalled that Savage Grace did other shows in the Upper Peninsula. "We played in Marquette and Sault Ste. Marie at the very least. I know that we did shows with the MC5 and shows of our own."

In fact, the band performed many concerts on twin bills with SRC. "We did quite a few shows with all the Michigan and Midwest bands. I know that we played in Ann Arbor, Saugatuck and Petoskey with SRC."

SRC may be best remembered for their hypnotic regional hit "Black Sheep," which was edited for single release but appeared in a longer version on the group's self-titled debut LP, and was certainly a standout in performance. Their three albums on Capitol Records mixed spacey guitar and organ work with haunting lyrics into pure Motor City rock 'n' roll.

The group centered around Gary Quackenbush on lead guitar, his brother Glenn on Hammond organ, and vocalist Scott Richardson. After leaving the stage at NMU, SRC rushed to Tartar Field at Wayne State University in Detroit where they had a gig the next day. In the following years, failing to attain a national break through, the group disbanded.

In the period after their Marquette appearance, Savage Grace managed another album, "2," recorded in Los Angeles, but broke up in 1972 without achieving the success many fans felt they deserved.

Today, Jacquez carries on musically as leader of an and coming blues quartet named Measured Chaos, which has also played north of the Mackinac Bridge. "Measured Chaos had a great show up in Ontonagon and we want to go back again. I would like to do the Woodtick Festival and other dates in the U. P.," he added.

Besides the gravelly-voiced Jacquez, Measured Chaos includes guitarist Mark Tomorsky, drummer Bill Gordon and bassist Mark Gougeon, an alum of Detroit legend Mitch Ryder.

The group has a new compact disc, "Somewhere between Detroit & Chicago," as well. They've had some airplay on satellite XM Radio, WCSX in Detroit, Ontonagon's WOAS and other stations, Jacquez noted.

By the way, while Savage Grace and SRC played that twin bill in Marquette 36 years ago, thanks to email, Jacquez now knows what the poster used to promote the concert looks like. "Wow! Great poster," was his comment.

Don't worry, my poster for one of the best shows I never saw is still safely tucked away in that old album cover.

Yearbooks detail stars' past

In our celebrity-influenced culture, lots of otherwise common items have become collectible. Take yearbooks, for example. They're nothing special, except to alumni, unless you graduated with a rock star. Then, those yearbooks became a treasure trove of information, both trivial and important.

Over the years, my wife Sue and I have collected yearbooks from Buddy Holly, Madonna, Stevie Nicks and Elvis Presley and they reveal much about the stars who's pictures they contain.

The first annual we acquired was a 1953 "Westerner" from Lubbock High School in Texas, the sophomore year for one of rock's pioneers, Buddy Holly. His headshot depicts a casual young man, without his later trademark glasses. The name under the photo reads Buddy Holley, as his last name was spelled at the time.

We obtained the yearbook through a classified advertisement in Goldmine Magazine, a record collectors publication. A teacher at Lubbock High School ran a notice that he had found several copies of the annual in a closet on campus and was offering them for sale. In the late 80s, we invested $100 in buying the book which was already 35 years old.

Paging through, you'll notice that Buddy was a member of the "Choralaires," composed strictly of sophomores, as directed by Miss Imogene Webster. Also published in the book is a picture of classmate Niki Sullivan practicing golf at Lubbock Country Club. A few years later, Sullivan would play rhythm guitar in Buddy's band, The Crickets.

The back of the book contains advertising from local businesses. It's not impossible to think that Buddy may have frequented Wayne's Record Rack, 2421-A Broadway, and the Hi-D-Ho drive-in restaurant, the favorite meeting spot for Lubbock High School students, or so their ad claimed.

In the years after high school, Holly recorded such influential hits as "That'll Be The Day," "Peggy Sue," and "Oh Boy." Sadly, Holly perished at age 22 in an Iowa plane crash on Feb. 3, 1959, along with Richie Valens and The Big Bopper.

Madonna's yearbook, meanwhile, was sold to us by a man who announced he didn't care for the star whom he went to school with in lower Michigan. Known then as Madonna Ciccone, the singer is pictured as a senior in Rochester's Adams High School publication, "The Highlander." The 1976 yearbook notes Miss Ciccone was a member of the newly formed Thespian Society.

Of course, Madonna went on to record dozens of hits including "Take a Bow," "Like a Virgin," and "Vogue," as well as starring in the motion picture "Evita."

Another diva to grace our yearbook collection is Stevie Nicks, of Fleetwood Mac fame. She graduated from Menlo-Atherton High School in Atherton, CA in 1966. We obtained a 25th anniversary edition of her yearbook, which featured Nicks in her rock star prime on the cover. Her high school obviously knew how to promote a famous former student and issued a limited edition of 300 numbered copies of the book.

The annual noted that as a senior Nicks appeared in the student production of "High Spirits" and was a member of the Players Club. Unfortunately, her credit for the show contains a typographical error, listing her as Stephanie Micks.

You know her name wasn't misspelled when she went on to record with Fleetwood Mac or as a solo artist registering such hits as "Talk To Me," "If Anyone Falls," and a duet with Tom Petty, "Needles and Pins."

Finally, there is Elvis. An original copy of his yearbook would be quite pricey. That's because he went to a small school and few copies of the annual were printed. But, we have a reproduction of the 1953 "Herald," copyrighted 1988, by music publisher Jerry Osborne. Still, you see the Humes High School graduation photo of Elvis, dressed in suit and tie.

Elvis had no activities listed with his picture but he did redeem himself later by recording "Don't Be Cruel," "All Shook Up," "Heartbreak Hotel," and 148 other smashes in the United States. For a Memphis kid apparently not terribly inspired by high school, that's not a bad "record."

U. P. played into REO story

REO Speedwagon performed in the Upper Peninsula at several pivotal junctions in their career.

You may remember the quintet from Champaign, IL first hit the singles chart in 1977 with the seminal "Ridin' The Storm Out," a rocker written by lead guitarist Gary Richrath.

Then, on Aug. 28, 1978, as "Time For Me To Fly," their third hit was charting, the group played at Marquette's Lakeview Arena to a crowd of swooning girls and air guitar playing guys.

As the 80s unfolded, and the band was battling it out with rivals Styx and Journey, the hits came fast and furiously for REO. Their "Hi Infidelity" album contained four radio-friendly singles including chart topper "Keep on Loving You" and another Richrath tune, "Take It On The Run," with its infectious line "heard it from a friend" and fiery guitar work. The song reached No. 5.

REO returned to Marquette in 1981 in support of the "Hi Infidelity" LP which was the best-selling album in the country for four months.

In 1985, the group registered their biggest single with "Can't Fight This Feeling." More saturation airplay followed.

By 1988, Epic Records had released a "best of" compilation called "Hits," which contained two new songs: "Here With Me," which reached the Top Twenty; and "I Don't Want to Lose You."

With a black and white cover depicting the four off- kilter letters of its title, "Hits," flew off store shelves.

A ballad, "Here with Me," was generating significant time on national radio when REO prepared to play at the U. P. State Fair on Saturday, Aug. 20, 1988. The group had also recorded a video of the song for MTV.

My wife Sue and I had been looking forward to the show because, with three hits the previous year, it looked like REO was at a career peak. Adding to our excitement, the group's manager had invited us backstage to meet the band after the 8 p. m. concert.

As we watched Richrath, with his cherry sunburst Les Paul guitar, singer and guitarist Kevin Cronin and the band storm through their hit-filled program, including the Top Ten "Keep The Fire Burnin'," we didn't realize things were about to change for the veteran group.

It seems Richrath and Cronin couldn't agree on the future direction of the band, or who's songs to put on their albums. Richrath wanted a rockier sound (his songs), while Cronin thought the group should continue to stress ballads (his songs).

Consequently, in the months following the Escanaba show, drummer Al Gratzer retired and Richrath was asked to leave the band.

With the change in personnel, the hits stopped. Still, Cronin kept the REO Speedwagon name before the concert-going public by touring extensively.

Following his split from REO, Richrath released a solo album, "Only the Strong Survive" in 1992. The disc included remakes of the title track and "In Your Letter" from the multi-million selling "Hi Infidelity."

Richrath was replaced in REO by ex-Ted Nugent and Richie Sambora guitarist Dave Amato.

REO's most recent local appearance, which besides Cronin and Amato, included original keyboardist Neal Doughty, bassist Bruce Hall, as well as drummer Bryan Hitt, came on June 2 and 3, 2006 at the Chip-in Island Resort and Casino in Harris.

In the years since the breakup of the original band, Cronin and Richrath have apparently patched up their differences but there has been no REO Speedwagon reunion.

During the last decade, Richrath has been working on a follow-up solo album, while REO has been marketed with seemingly countless compilation albums, as Epic Records continues to grind out profits from their back catalog, repackaging those old hits in various new combinations.

Checker salutes Elvis at 1977 Fair

For rock music fans, Tuesday, Aug. 16, 1977 was a day not soon forgotten.

As Chubby Checker readied a performance at the Upper Peninsula State Fair, word spread around the grounds that Elvis Presley-- the King of Rock 'n' Roll-- had died in Memphis.

My wife Sue heard the tragic news while she was at a vendor's booth where her dad, Harry Hahn, sold turquoise jewelry he made. "I was shocked," she remembered.

Rain had soaked the fair grounds late Monday and early Tuesday, with the wet conditions causing exhibitors to set up late and dampening attendance at Checker's afternoon show.

You may remember Checker as the only rock star to have the same song reach number one on two different occasions. "The Twist" topped the charts in September, 1960 and again in early 1962.

In fact, Checker's cover version of "The Twist," originally by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, started a world-wide dance phenomenon that the performer used as the linchpin of his act.

Tickets for the 8:30 p. m. concert, booked through Northern International Agency, were just $2.50. Despite the price, Sue and I were among only 866 people to attend the evening show.

A rock 'n' roll party band called Wedsel's Edsels, which boasted $15,000 in stereo equipment and $20,000 in lighting, opened the program with a nostalgic 50's performance, reminiscent of Sha Na Na. In tribute to Elvis, the group added "Jailhouse Rock," a monster hit by the legend from Tupelo, to their set.

Checker, who toured 250 days per year, pumped up the crowd when he appeared on stage clad in a white jump suit open to the waist and platform shoes, along with a modest afro.

With his band "Ships," the veteran entertainer played his signature song, plus "Let's Twist Again," "Pony Time," "Popeye The Hitchhiker," "Slow Twistin,'" and many more from his long list of hits.

During the show, Checker explained that dancing to "The Twist" was easy: just pretend you're smothering a cigarette butt with one foot, then simultaneously do the same with the other.

Checker invited audience members, including both kids and adults, on stage for a "Limbo Rock" contest. But, virtually no matter how low the limbo stick got, the 35-year-old singer was able to shimmy his way under it, even with those platform shoes.

The Cameo- Parkway recording artist added a poignant moment. "Many of you probably know Elvis Presley died this afternoon. I sure will miss that man." With that the band played their take on "Hound Dog," Presley's giant smash from 1956.

On Wednesday, Aug. 17, the Escanaba Daily Press carried the sad story about the death of rock's greatest star under the page one headline "Elvis Presley Heart Attack Victim." The Associated Press dispatch, with a Memphis dateline, said "Elvis Presley, the one-time truck driver who as a rock 'n' roll singer was idolized by fans and denounced by preachers as the devil's tool, is dead of a heart ailment at 42. Doctors denied Presley's death was drug connected."

Each year since his death, devotees have gathered at Graceland in August to commemorate Presley's life during "Elvis Week." He is still one of the top earners at RCA Records and has a catalog containing over 200 albums and dozens of movies.

So many fans are still devoted to Elvis that new products appear monthly to meet the demand. Such is the affection his fans hold toward their idol.

Perhaps, like President Kennedy's assassination, you even remember where you were when you heard about Elvis' passing, so significant was his stature in modern music.

Like Chubby Checker's show at the Fair that day 29 years ago, rock 'n' roll will go on but Presley's incalculable contribution-- just like the day he died-- won't soon be forgotten.

An altered Foreigner set to play

Lou Gramm's vocals are an important component of Foreigner's classic sound, but is the singer integral to the future of the band?

That is a question you may want to ponder as Foreigner prepares to perform at the Upper Peninsula State Fair.

Mick Jones, the driving force behind Foreigner's hit-filled career, will bring his latest incarnation of the band to Escanaba Thursday, Aug. 17.

Like virtually every band from the era, Foreigner has had some personnel changes. In fact, the band has gone through numerous drummers and has twice as many former members as current ones.

Take Jason Bonham, for example. He didn't replace his famous father in Led Zeppelin, but he has landed a gig drumming for Foreigner. Bassist Jeff Pilson no longer plunks out the rhythm for hard rock band Dokken, but he now has found a job with Foreigner, too.

Concert-goers will certainly recognize the lead guitar work of Jones, the sole remaining founding member. The 61-year-old Jones is the rock upon which Foreigner is built.

As a teenager in Britain he worked in a record store and later honed his skills as a member of Spooky Tooth. By 1976, he founded Foreigner as the decade's arena rock acts began to take off.

You remember their hits. "Feels Like the First Time," "Cold as Ice," "Hot Blooded" and "Double Vision" were all early home runs.

The catchy "Urgent" with the memorable Jr. Walker sax solo came in 1981 as did "Waiting For a Girl Like You."

They hit their apex with the number one smash "I Want to Know What Love Is." Released in late 1984, the ballad spent an astonishing 21 weeks on the Billboard Top Singles chart. "Say You Will" and "I Don't Want to Live Without You" followed.

While the singles were commanding FM radio, their albums were equally dominant.

Jones kept the listening public interested by tweaking their sound with different producers as they recorded popular albums like "Head Games," "4" and "Agent Provocateur."

Foreigner enjoyed unparalleled success for more than a decade, but by 1991 Jones asked Gramm to leave the band despite the fact the singer was one-half the songwriting team which produced 22 hit singles.

Gramm was replaced by one-time King Kobra singer Johnny Edwards who performed lead vocals on the "Unusual Heat" album. The New York-born Gramm returned in 1992 before departing again in 2003 for a solo career.

Now, Foreigner is on a national tour with strong personnel, but missing its trademark lead singer who is currently on a national tour of his own.

Consequently, Gramm's former duties will be performed by wailer Kelly Hansen, from a modestly successful outfit called Hurricane.

The new line-up has released a compact disc entitled "Extended Versions" which was recorded live at Texas Station in Las Vegas on Nov. 26, 2005. It consists of ten tracks including a medley of "Juke Box Hero" and Zeppelin's classic "Whole Lotta Love."

Certainly the talented players in Foreigner, including keyboardist Jeff Jacobs and rhythm guitarist Thom Gimbel, put on a good show. They've got the experience and Jones would settle for nothing less than giving patrons an evening of top notch entertainment for their money. And, without a doubt, Jones deserves to continue to make a living for his 30 years fronting Foreigner. After all, it's his baby.

But, because many people judge live performances by the integrity of the lead vocals, some fans may be disappointed in a Foreigner show without Gramm, who sang all their hits. Others may not care or even prefer Hansen. You'll have to decide for yourself.