They responded, swiftly and passionately, to a recent post listing 31 of the greatest shows at venues throughout the state. 3. There were a lot of fun people.. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. It wasnt concerts where you played and 500 people sat down and listened to you. "Rolling Stones, October 5, 1989, Legion Field," said Emily A. I think he could call his own shots.". We stayed at the same hotel as them. From:"Rodney Justo" To:"robert register" Subject:Re: HEY EL NIXO! I told Jimbo we should all come in with walkers, laughed Beavers. The Buckinghams. Flintstone House. But the moment was indelible for one of his daughters, Debbie Brennan Bartoletti. It gave them a voice. "We'd camp out at the door, on the steps and wait. The station's studios are . Several readers made fond mention of multi-act shows presented by WBAM-AM, a sister station to Birmingham's WVOK-AM, during the 1960s and early '70s. The station's transmitter is located in the town of Grady, Alabama. Bob Brennen gave me these. The football stadiumposed a few extra challenges, Brennan says, from seating assignments to sound quality to weather preparation. Hes been in a few movies, raced sports cars and been inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. We came along at just the right time.. Vocalist in Salem, Alabama 1,320 views on fandalism. Emerson, Lake and Palmer in QUAD sound - Tuscaloosa circa 1973. Both stations played Top 40 hits of the day, and the concerts were the Brennans' gifts to a loyal radio audience. In the 1950s and '60s, Montgomery, Alabama, was ground zero for many of the major events central to the civil rights movement in this country. I was blown away. Many regulars from the Kove days brought their grown children and will likely do so again. That was a lot of money. Submit a request Contact us through a specially prepared form. He wanted us to sign a management contract with him, but we were still under contract with Marshall and . Pitiful (Otis Redding) sound so much better with real horns.. We enjoyed all the years we spent in radio, said Dan Brennan, who now owns a video production company in Birmingham. The Huntsville Times file photo/Michael Proffitt. Performers would play to more than 10,000 at Garrett Coliseum in Montgomery Friday night (for Tommy James in 1967 it just seemed like 30,000), then pack-up and play three shows in Birmingham on Saturday. I always got seats on the floor for the shows. He would tear up the piano, Moody said, We couldnt find anyone to provide a piano, but he would put on a show. WBAM signed on in 1953 as AM 740. A real commercial from the 60's with announcer Bill J Moody .Exciting times as a teen.growing up in Montgomery. The detailed map shows the US state of Alabama with boundaries, the location of the state capital Montgomery, major cities and populated places, rivers and lakes, interstate highways, principal highways, railroads and major airports. Wed have them in the spring, summer, fall and winter, said Dan Brennan, known on-air as Dan the Music Man hosting Dans Dusty Discs, who also announced acts on-stage. Skyping with a Hermit Packed house for a 1960s Big BAM Show at Garrett Coliseum. Beavers has played drums for various bands, including Doc Severinson, Willie Nelson and Lyle Lovett, winning a Grammy Award for Best Performance by Duo or Group in 1994 while a member of Asleep at the Wheel. (The Beatles' popularity in the U.S. exploded in 1964, and that year's tour was a watershed moment for the band.). "We had a room set up at our house that had little cubbyholes, like a post office has, and Clara would be back there, stuffing these envelopes, and getting the tickets," Brennan says. The Carpenters. In spirited retaliation, Paul Revere and the Raiders march in lock step across the stage behind performers Jan and Dean. Back then, thats what music was about, remembers Bobby Dupree, 63, drummer with The Rockin Gibraltars, a popular Montgomery-based group in the 60s. He plays locally at Ruddles, Coaches Corner in Wetumpka, Young Barn Oyster Pub, and has recorded a CD. It was electric. Deep South was incorporated in late July of 1950 with a capitalization of $60,000. The Young Rascals. Dan Brennan recalls the reaction from performers. Other notable former personalities included Bill J. Moody, Paul Simpkins, Mark Robbins, Gene Hocutt and Joe Cook. By the time they came to get us we were pretty shozzeled.. "You didn't have to know anything about guitar to realize that he was one of the best ever to take the stage. If you were a teenager anywhere near Montgomery in the mid-60s and early 70s, the concert scene didnt get any better than the fanfests known as the Big BAM shows. I was there both times. 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. WBAM-FM/98.9 ("Bama Country 98.9") is a country music formatted radio station that serves the Montgomery Metropolitan Area, broadcasting on the FM band at a frequency of 98.9 MHz and licensed to Montgomery, Alabama. Now sales manager for a Dothan radio station, Moody fondly remembers working as a teenager at a 1959 WBAM concert featuring singer Connie Francis. The WVOK Shower of Stars was a series of concerts sponsored by WVOK-AM at the Birmingham Armory and later at Birmingham's Municipal Auditorium.Program director Dan Brennan organized the shows, which gained national notice.. Concerts. The early concert didn't begin until it was time for the second one, but it was worth the wait. (It was free.) She remembers her father's words with startling clarity, along with the thrill she experiencedwhile sitting in the front row. 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. They had easy backstage access, as well, and would confidently sashay throughout the venue. Only concert I have ever been to where they had tee shirts for the guitarist in the band along with the band's shirts. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. "In those days, you could go to a concert and there was only one back door. One of Brennan's favorite anecdotes concerns a young Elvis Presley, making waves and jostling for position before a concerton Dec. 3,1955, at Garrett Coliseum. Rock 'n' roll had just started, and you were right in the middle of it.". The Fabulous Shades But he's sure the introduction was brief, wasting no time as Beatlemania raged. Men. But in the stations' 1960s heyday, shows usually kicked off on Fridays inMontgomery atGarrett Coliseum and moved to Birmingham on Saturdays at Municipal Auditorium (now called Boutwell Auditorium). He didn't insist onphotos. "I'm so. All who attended the big September 19th show must present ticket stub at gate between 12 noon and 1PM. The audience was huge, sold out, 10,000 or more. Some of the concerts took place in a single location -- most often, Jacksonville. But it was one of many concerts organized by the Brennans, as they sought to cement listeners' loyalty to WVOK in Birmingham, WBAM-AM in Montgomery and WAPE in Jacksonville. I said, 'Well, this is Roy's show. Thomas, joined by John Kay (solo after leaving Steppenwolf), the Grass Roots and others. "Bill" Brennan, one of the owners of The Big Bam, Montgomery's renowned 50,000-watt radio station. "I always had an idea about saving memories for people, and using the media that was becoming available, and that's what led me into this.". I've got to change clothes and everything.' Published by at February 16, 2022. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. He was a very special guy. Many who danced the night away to the Rockin Gibraltars or who nursed a beer and smoked a cigarette listening to Harmony, recall those days with particular fondness and with nostalgia for a time that wont likely return. One show in particular stands out. Saw them at the University of Alabama home coming in 1978 as well. Clapton! 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. I don't even think it was a sell out. The Lovin' Spoonful. They played at YMCAs, American Legion halls, private parties, and dances all over south Alabama, Panama City, Savannah, and Greenville, Miss. Its effortless., Even after all these years, agreed Jones. Find the answers to any question. I told someone to lower the seat, and when I sat down, it went all the way to the bottom, he said, chuckling. It was the most important thing in our lives. Its magic, said Beavers. Paul Revere & the Raiders. The station is locally owned and operated by Bluewater Broadcasting Company, LLC. ", From Eric Pendergrass: "Grateful Dead BJCC April 4,5 1995.". Gobs of people have asked us when were going to do another reunion. "Bill" Brennan, Billy Benns (Jr.) and Mrs. Luella B. Aldridge. "His 'side' men was the entire Little Feat rhythm section. I didn't stay afterwards, but my friends who did said that he stood in the lobby as long as anyone was there greeting fans and talking about world hunger. Big Bam All-Star Spring Show Setlists Apr 8 1967 Date Saturday, April 8, 1967 Venue Garrett Coliseum, Montgomery, AL, USA Report festival So far there are setlists of 9 gigs. That was one of my first big gigs - the Big BAM shows! "Excuse me---did I miss the ROLLING STONES STEEL WHEELS TOUR??????????????????" "It didn't matter. Brennan also remembers that Starr requested reinforcements to the stage area near his drum kit, because strong gusts lingered after the hurricane. Tommy James, of Tommy James and the Shondells, describing his appearance at the WBAM and WVOK Summer Shows in 1966 (from Me, the Mob and the Music). Many of the artists told me these were the biggest shows theyd ever done.. With no sound checks between acts, group would run on stage and begin playing almost immediately. 100 feet later someone offered us tickets at face value. Originally licensed in 1953 as WBAM, the station broadcast contemporary and country music before turning to sports talk under the WMSP callsign in 1995. "Marty Robbins came up to me, and he looked so sad," Brennan recalls. After helping escort her safely away from an unruly crowd, she rewarded him with a big kiss. Bobby Darin. It's not like now, where they have secret tunnels and drive right into the auditorium.". "I'm so old. "There was a little office backstage, and I remember seeing my father and uncles back there with a security guard," Bartoletti says. I had to play the whole set standing up!. "Me and my girlfriends would get up at -- holy moly, 6 a.m. -- and get there long before the show ever started," said Connie Peek, a former Shower of Stars regular, during a 2003 interview with The Birmingham News. ", From bamamaam: "What about the lynyrd skynyrd concert at rickwood field in the '70's.? 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. Just a few of the letters WBAM received from fans providing input into the acts they wished to see at the shows. I said, 'Well, you've got a choice here. A license for the station was issued in 1952. Neil Diamond. The band has undergone several incarnations. Though theyve had other jobs over the years, neither Jones nor Beavers have stopped playing music. People came from several states to see these shows.

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