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The greater Chicagoland area of the Midwest--Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Iowa--well represented the profuse pop rock playlist of the mid-1960s. This prolific area produced a significant soundtrack from late 1965 into 1972 that reverberated across the country. The vibrant suburban scene produced nearly 40 singles that reached the record charts locally and regionally, with several of the 45s placing on the national listings. Some of the Chicagoland hits include "Kind of a Drag," "Vehicle," "Bend Me, Shape Me," and "Gloria," recorded by the Buckinghams, Ides of March, American Breed, and Shadows of Knight.
This book, a geomusicultural chronicle, documents a multitude of Chicagoland bands and their music. They sounded across neighborhoods, thriving teen clubs, television dance and variety shows, renowned recording studios, local independent and major record labels--and through the pervasive AM airwaves of two 50,000-watt downtown radio stations, WLS and WCFL, featuring lineups of dynamic disc jockeys. This period piece portrays a momentous mark within "that toddlin' town's" rich music heritage.
List of contents
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments and Appreciation: A Chicagoland Comeback
Prelude-Make It in the Midwest: Once Upon a Time in Chicagoland
Introduction-45 RPM (Revolutions Per Midwest): A Regional Rotation and Prolific Pop Rock Garage Pocket
1.¿AM Radio Reformation: WLS, Middle America's Bright New Sound
2.¿Breakthrough and Colonization
3.¿Oh Yeah '66: From "Gloria" to Glorious Train Wreck
4.¿It's Dunwich Man
5.¿Hey Baby, They're Playing Our Songs: The Buckinghams' Smashing '67
6.¿It's a Cryan' Shame
7.¿Ba Da Ba Ba Dah: Brass and the Bungalows of Berwyn
8.¿Cornerstone Coda: In One Ear and Gone Tomorrow
Selected and Annotated Discography: The Sounds of Mid-1960s Chicagoland
Chapter Notes
Bibliography
Index
About the author
George Plasketes is a professor of media studies in the School of Communication & Journalism at Auburn University in Alabama. His published writings include six books, essays, journal articles and book chapters on a variety of music, media and cultural topics.
