All articles filed in K-Chuck Radio

Follow along with me on this. It’s 1971, and a struggling rock band from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania is looking for its first big hit. Eventually they hook up with a songwriter who is also looking for his first big hit. And after scoring a one-song deal with Scepter Records, they produce what might be the most…

Clarion Records was an Australian record company that operated from 1962 to 1978, but its main success came in the mid-1960’s. Formed by Martin Clarke in Perth, Western Australia, the company had their own high-quality recording and processing equipment, ensuring that their finished records sounded top-notch. And if you’re a fan of beat and mod…

During my second run on WHCL college radio, I created a segment called the “Sample Example,” where I played an original song, followed by that song’s reinterpretation or sampled section in a more modern track. It was fun. And quite informative. So I want to do this again, based on a 2001 song I learned…

Before we begin today’s edition of K-Chuck Radio, I need you to watch this documentary. It’s a 1982 film called Vietnam Requiem. It tells the story of five men who fought in Vietnam, and who (at the time of the documentary) are serving prison terms post-service. Pay attention to their interviews and what they say.…

Walk with me a little on this one. Because I’ll tell you how a regional doo-wop hit helped establish a 1970’s-era soul groove. Let’s start in 1961, when a Chicago four-man, one-woman doo-wop quintet named the Dukays had their first regional hit, “The Girl’s a Devil,” on a tiny independent label. Pay attention to the…

If you’ve never experienced the voice and poetry of Shane MacGowan of the Pogues, you’ve missed so much. Even if you’ve only heard the Pogues’ Christmas song “Fairytale of New York,” that’s just not enough to really appreciate what MacGowan brought to the musical world. Take, for example, this track. The Pogues song “A Rainy…

How could anyone not love the Carpenters? Karen and Richard Carpenter were all over pop radio in the 1970’s, and their music is still a main ingredient in oldies radio today. Fantastic harmonies, incredible orchestrations, and Karen Carpenter’s solo voice that just warmed your heart and broke it at the same time. But what if…

You saw this morning’s blog post headline, and I bet you automatically thought, “Oh yeah, when a Deep Purple falls over sleepy garden walls …” Yeah, totally understandable. But what if I told you that the LoTiempo siblings – Nino Tempo and April Stevens – had a very long recording career, with many different radio…

Rob Hirst, the powerful drummer for the legendary Australian socially conscious band Midnight Oil, passed away from pancreatic cancer. He was 70 at the time of his last day. Hirst was a founding member of Midnight Oil, and was part of the group’s songwriting and percussion. He was the heartbeat of Midnight Oil, and he…