Showing posts with label Alan Freed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alan Freed. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 18, 2023

The Link Between Murray the K and the Beatles Was the Ronettes


Swingin’ Murray the K might not have met the Fab Four when he did were it not for the Ronettes, a new vocal group who came along at the right time.
by Rich Watson 


New York deejay Murray Kaufman, AKA Murray the K, was one of the first to support the Beatles when they came to America in 1964. 

He had broadcast from the hotel they stayed in before their appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. He joined them at the start of their US concert tour and was on the set of their movie A Hard Day’s Night, among other things. George Harrison christened him “the fifth Beatle.”

A different pop group facilitated their meeting, one that in their way, went on to become almost as influential in music history: the vocal trio known as the Ronettes.

Wednesday, January 4, 2023

When Wolfman Jack Was a Mystery Man on Mexican Radio


America first clapped for the Wolfman when he was broadcast from south of the border.
by Rich Watson 


At the height of his fame, Wolfman Jack was better known as a TV star than a radio deejay. He hosted the music TV show Midnight Special. He popped up in shows and movies from time to time.

As a deejay, his identity was more ambiguous, but it wasn’t hard to find him. His show was on a Mexican radio station whose reach was far and wide.