"What's that Frank Sinatra song? Map of Alabama State, USA - Nations Online Project The bands that performed were: The Beach Boys / lou christie / Ian Whitcomb / The Happenings / the hollies / peter and gordon. "Little Feat at Boutwell mid 70s. The Brennan Brothers were radio broadcast innovators of the 1950s and 60s, when they owned and operated powerhouse stations in Jacksonville, Chattanooga, and . DMX. Alicia McLeod - Vocals. Garrett Coliseum, Montgomery, AL, USA Concert Setlists | setlist.fm The Huntsville Times file photo/Michael Proffitt. Readers shared fond memories of June Jam, the annual music festival that ran 1982-1997. One of the most powerful Shower of Stars events happened on May 7, 1965, when WVOK brought the Rolling Stones and the Beach Boys to Legion Field. "I didn't stay up there too long," Brennan says, laughing. "Cyril's idea was, 'Tell them to sing, just a little bit, and make sure that we get the right one.' I'm sure they were totally confused.". (The Beatles' popularity in the U.S. exploded in 1964, and that year's tour was a watershed moment for the band.). Flintstone House - Exploring Montgomery Fees for the other acts were in the $300-$400 range, he says. Jimbo Jones (L) and Tommy Beavers look forward to the reunion of Harmony. George Harrison is behind Dan on the left, John Lennon on the right. Skyping with a Hermit Lowell George in his prime," says Bingothatwuzagoody. It was the summer after my senior year, said Grier, who was joined by Keith Brewer on bass, Bobby Dupree on drums, Rusty Crumpton on guitar, Ronnie Monroe on trumpet and Ed Sanford on keyboards. More on the Grateful Dead's 1995 shows in Birmingham, from AL.com's "Lost Stories" series. Its magic, said Beavers. Thousands of Beatles fans were ready to twist and shout in the Southeast, and the Brennan clan had made it happen. Their big prize was three VOX . 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. Moody remembers Roy Orbison being one of the nicer, more polite performers, and the Grass Roots, Paul Revere and Buckinghams being easy to work with. ", Also on his list: "Eric Clapton, Billy Preston, and Jesse Colin Young and The Youngbloods, Legion Field, sometime in the 70's. We were very obnoxious to the security guard, who was the nicest guy, and of course, we would go in and outside all the time. By the time we got to the steps of the BJCC a guy had a shoebox full of tickets that he was trying to sell for a buck each. Johnny Carson wanted him on The Tonight Show.Music fans were clamoring for the single and album that featured this emotion-filled song about a man in love with his wife, who planted a . I kept going to at least one show a year through about 1968, he said. The Lovin' Spoonful. Fans would mail their orders to the station, requesting a specific showtime, and the envelopes often included suggestions for artists they'd like to see. From Billy Bromberg: "Led Zeppelin 1973, Coleman Coliseum." 9781603060554: The Other Side of Montgomery: Growing Up White in the We'll have to ask him. Signature songs include Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison), Cryin (Roy Orbison). Tickets were priced at$1.50-$5.50 per show, Brennan says, and artists' fees usually ran about $300-$7,500 per act. From Brian Willis: "Any of Alabama's June Jams. The Righteous Brothers. Big BAM Shows of the late 1960s and early 1970s featured all the biggest artists of the day, including Paul Revere and the Raiders, Lou Christie, Iron Butterfly, The Carpenters, The Monkees (as a group and individually), Tommy Joyce and Bobby Heart, The Grass Roots, and many more. Several others mentioned seeing the Rolling Stones in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham. The Brennan kids were popular during the concert years, as you might expect, and Bartoletti says she, her four siblings and her cousins were fixtures at the WVOK shows, seated in the front row. The Buckinghams. Most recently they performed earlier this year for a benefit show for ailing former bandmate Keith Brewer, who died in April of cancer. That one was epic alright, unlike any other! Wish I had gotten one. Rare Earth. Kenny Rogers and the First Edition. I always got seats on the floor for the shows. Readers of AL.com have plenty of ideas. He recalls the popular hangouts for older teens and the legendary "Big Bam Shows" of the period. "Hendrix, Joplin, the Who, Elvis, Dylan all played in Tuscaloosa," said Jeremy Don McCollough. The station's studios are . The Temptations and The Supremes, The TCB Tour, Auburn University, 1972. ", From dassani: "I was there Could not have been better! He also helped to choose and line up some of the concert talent. Alabama | Garage Hangover The 7 p.m.show-- billedas a music battle between the England and the United States-- also includedtheRighteous Brothers, Marty Robbins, Sonny James, Skeeter Davis, Del Reeves, Archie "Rindercella" Campbell and Cannibal and the Headhunters. the tall man aboriginal spirit; metadata api request failed: component conversion failed: file_ended; caleb foote sandlot WVOK Shower of Stars | Flickr So I went out and introduced Bobby Edwards, and he sang songs, and I came back about half an hour later, and I said, 'Now, here's Bobby Edwards!' Welcome to my Nightmare in Huntsville Von Braun 1975 and KISS in 1976 at Von Braun. Moody remembers the group mysteriously disappeared after one show and had to be retrieved to play their second gig (lead singer Peter Noone was known to enjoy a party.). And the Brennans knew how to put on a show.. Just a few of the letters WBAM received from fans providing input into the acts they wished to see at the shows. Zero , Northwest Florida: 08/22/2010 - 08/29/2010 - Blogger big bam shows montgomery, alabama ", "I don't know if it has been mentioned yet, but for the Alabama Theater I would definitely include Warren Zevon's show in, what?.1986 or '87?, said earman1. WMSP - Wikipedia big bam shows montgomery, alabama - cirujanoplasticoleon.com Wed ask them, Who would you like to see? Then wed select artists for the shows from this listener input.. After helping escort her safely away from an unruly crowd, she rewarded him with a big kiss. WBAM Big Bam Shows; Dan's Dusty Discs WBAM; WBAM Pictures; Read more about this topic: WBAM-FM, History. We enjoyed all the years we spent in radio, said Dan Brennan, who now owns a video production company in Birmingham. We got started because of the Beatles, said Jimbo Jones, longtime singer and guitarist with Harmony, one of the most popular bands to come out of Montgomery that played in the mid to late 70s at Keglers Kove, the lounge at Bama Lanes. The WMSP studios are located on the 3rd floor of . I remember some of them telling us they came to every show that whole year.". WBAM-FM Wikipedia Republished // WIKI 2 "My late husband was owner of Peace Concerts, he brought hundreds of concerts to Birmingham, all over Alabama and southeast from 1970-1975," said Shari Graye. He said, 'We're going to put both of them on.' Brennan bid farewell to concert promotion in 1973 --a necessary business decision, he says -- and for Birmingham music lovers, it was the end of an era. The Fabulous Shades December 3, 1955-As an extra Bonus..here's the advertisement for sister station WBAM, Montgomery, AL, when the very young Elvis Presley appeared. big bam shows montgomery, alabama Bobby Dupree (L) and Sonny Grier of the Rockin' Gibraltars. In the 1960s and early 1970s, the station sponsored a series of pop/rock concerts known as "Big BAM Shows" featuring acts ranging from Paul Revere and the Raiders, Lou Christie, and The Beach Boys to comedian Pat Paulsen. Most of the clubs have gone to a single performer, or a duo or karaoke. The audience was huge, sold out, 10,000 or more. REENADED . Submit a request Contact us through a specially prepared form. "It was cold outside, show was to begin at 6 but began at 9; coeds from T-town waited for 2nd show which was to begin at 9 but began at about 2 next morning, had to get permission to stay in those days and freeze outside at Auburn University Coliseum. Although he admits to anoccasional pang of longing, looking back on his previouscareer, Brennan is far from retired. Garrett Coliseum, in contrast, could hold 10,000+ for a single performance in Montgomery. It was a clear channel station that covered over 90 counties in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida, and could be heard everywhere. The resulting concerts -- which evolved into a series called the WVOK Shower of Stars in Birmingham, the Big BAM shows in Montgomery and the Big APE Convention in Jacksonville -- became enormously popular with radio listeners. Bobby Goldsboro was having a nice run of hits in the mid-'60s when suddenly, with the release of a song called "Honey" in 1968, he became a major star. Believing they could be the next stateside version of the Beatles, they went by a variety of catchy names: The Rockin Gibraltars, the Sweet Young Uns, The Drones, The Fabulous Shades, the Gate Band. The station is locally owned and operated by Bluewater Broadcasting Company, LLC. Customer Help Desk Of all the concerts I've been to in my lifetime, this one was the most memorable. WBAM Big Bam Shows Remembered 3,983 views Aug 25, 2013 A real commercial from the 60's with announcer Bill J Moody .Exciting times as a teen.growing up in Montgomery. (Photo courtesy of the Brennan family). Sonny Grier is another longtime Montgomery band member who still plays music. Clipping found in Alabama Journal in Montgomery, Alabama on Mar 24, 1966. Because it was so big, we ran on stage as soon as we were introduced, grabbed our instruments and started playing before the applause died down. [2] Originally licensed in 1953 as WBAM, the station broadcast contemporary and country music before turning to sports talk under the WMSP callsign in 1995. That was one of my first big gigs - the Big BAM shows! Cosmic Slop was classic, turned that mother out. I play music half the time, the other half Im a toilet salesman, Jones said, which means hes in wholesale plumbing with Thompson Supply Co. HOW COME PAUL GODDARD PUSHES HIS GLASSES UP THE BRIDGE OF HIS NOSE? "It was quite a thing.". Jones, now 59, also played school dances and armories in a group called The Drones. ", From Steve Wayne: "Guns N' Roses at the Birmingham Race Course. With the help of Bill Moody and Cyril Brennan at WBAM, their music was played on the 100,000-watt radio station, helping the group built a following as an R&B band. One show in particular stands out. Herman's Hermits in the studio, Barry Whitwam on drums. We get young people, folks our age, and older folks, he said proudly. A guy during intermission pulled his hankee out of his pockes and a gun fell out and fired a round into the row od seats in front of us. The mothership landed in the BJCC that night. While Gator Bowl officials relented to a desegregated audience for the concert, two other venues Epstein had chosen were problematic. Respi Mee Sup Sabahiiat. I said, 'Well, you've got a choice here. It was a hold out because they had missed a previous show in May of 1974. From Sell it to the tourists: "I saw an amazing Harry Chapin show at the BJCC Concert Hall in around 1978? It was the most important thing in our lives. If possible, the Brennans liked to present the same lineup of artists in all three cities over a single weekend, offering three shows in Birmingham for the Shower of Stars, one in Montgomery for the Big BAM and one in Jacksonville for the Big APE. Ask anyone who was there. That was a lot of money. George Cumuze, RN, Case Manager 4150 Carmichael Court Montgomery, AL 36106 334-270-2274. show . I think he could call his own shots.". In 1964 the Brennans Jacksonville, Florida station, WAPE, hosted the Beatles in concert at the Gator Bowl (see sidebar below). We would skip class and work setting up the stages for free admission and backstage passes. The Other Side of Montgomery: Growing Up White in the Birthplace of the It was electric. Roy Acuff and his Smoky Mountain Boys were the headliners that evening, and the billincluded Kitty Wells, Johnnie and Jack, Fred Wamble, Jack Turner and Buddy Hawk. I tasted my first grits there my very first grit (laughs). Renamed Rock Hull Band in 77 before reclaiming original name in 90. We'd get hamburgers and bring them back, with someone always holding our place. "We all felt very privileged," Bartoletti says. "Excuse me---did I miss the ROLLING STONES STEEL WHEELS TOUR??????????????????" "I'm so. Whitwam, now in his 47th year playing music, is pleased with the makeup of their current audiences. ", From bhamboost: "Parliament Funkadelic Mothership Connection 1976. "They would be paying the acts, literally, in cash. Clapton! The Hollies. What made those shows big was that Dan and Cyril would always pick the artists who were hot at the time, remembered Bill J. Moody, a former WBAM announcer and later host of Hubcap Classics. If a group had a hit record, we would have them. After the Beatles press conference, where the Fab Four were munching on potato chips, Diane Brennan, daughter of Cyril and Louise, grabbed the partially consumed shards in fear that her sister Donnie would eat them. . K Jamie Carter Childhood Toys Childhood Memories Camille Redouble Sheila E ", From Jeremy Don McCollough: "Guns N' Roses played the Birmingham race course, it was a muddy mess. But Lewis went over his allotted time.