I turn eight this year, going from second to third grade. Near December we had a sock hop, had my first real girl friend, if you want to call her that Jeri (short for Geraldine) don’t ask why she spelled it with a J, haven’t a clue. We went to the sock hop; she stood a good eight inches over me (with flats on) and had braces. We danced all night, to some of the songs mentioned. The three songs I remember of that night are Never My Love and Cherish by the Association (both slow dances) and the final song of the night, Colour My World by Chicago and my first real kiss. It was a magical night, I was so sad when her Dad came to pick her up. I remember the failed Apollo 1 and the death of the Astronauts and seeing the race riots on TV and the war in Vietnam broadcast nightly by Walter Conkrite. The famous “Summer of Love” was a time to remember, and though I am only eight, it and the music from it would be a large part of my life to this day. Music and movies are some of the things that shape us, and there is a long list of both for me. We are still living in El Paso, renting a house on Mt. Rushmore Avenue. Going down to the corner 7-11 for slushies or ice cream, summers at the pool (man it was hot). Playing baseball on an organized team for the first time (outfield if you must know, and no I wasn’t a starter). I loved school, getting good grades. I have always loved school, sick I know, but I love to learn, about anything and this helps me in my future years. Other things that happened in this year of my life, some I remember, and some I don’t, but they all happened.
MUSIC:
This is where a lot of my music of today is grounded. The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band (all time favorite) came out this year. Artists like Aretha Franklin (Chain Of Fools, RESPECT), Bobbie Gentry (Ode To Billy Joe), Donovan (Mellow Yellow), Dusty Springfield (The Look Of Love – was in one of my Favorite Movies Casino Royale), Jefferson Airplane (Somebody To Love, White Rabbit – was in love with Grace Slick, mmmm), John Fred and His Playboy Band (Judy In Disguise), Lulu (To Sir, Sir With Love – good movie), Petula Clark (Don’t Sleep In The Subway Darling – also a good actress), Procol Harum (Lighter Shade Of Pale – My Uncle turned me onto these guys in 1969), Scott McKenzie (San Francisco[Be Sure To Wear Some Flowers IN Your Hair]), The American Breed (Bend Me Shape Me), The Association (Carrie Anne, Never My Love, Windy [see previous blog 1966]), The Beatles – One of My Top Three Favorite All Time Bands (Hello-Goodbye[my first 45], Penny Lane, Strawberry Fields), The Byrds (So You Want To Be A Rock And Roll Star [yes I do, lol]), The Doors (Light My Fire, People Are Strange [my theme song, if any]), The Mamas and The Papas (Dedicated To The One I Love), The Royal Guardsmen (Snoopy vs The Red Baron), The Seekers (Georgy Girl[yes I got teased about this]), The Supremes (Reflections), The Turtles (Happy Together), The Who (I Can See For Miles), The Young Rascals (Groovin), Tommy James and The Shondells (I Think We’re Alone Now) and Van Morrison (Brown Eyed Girl [used to sing this to the Girl that would become my wife when we first met]).
Bands like The Velvet Underground, The Who, Procol Harum, Pink Floyd (another of my all time favorite bands), Jimi Hendrix and Moody Blues start this year off in various ways. Moody Blues Days of Future Passed and the Jimi Hendrix Experience are released. Pink Floyd plays first concert in Quadraphonic Sound and The Who destroys their instruments on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Show. Monterey Pop Festival and the beginning of the “Summer of Love”. Other notable music events of the year: First Issue of The Rolling Stone Magazine. New bands/people starting their career: Ted Nugent, George Clinton, Sly & the Family Stone, Blue Oyster Cult, Captain Beefheart, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Genesis. The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour shown on BBC1.
MOVIES:
Notable Movies of the year are Barefoot In The Park (Robert Redford), Bonnie and Clyde (Warren Beatty), Casino Royale – one of my fav’s (Peter Sellers, Woody Allen), Cool Hand Luke (Paul Newman), The Dirty Dozen (Lee Marvin), Doctor Dolittle (Rex Harrison), Fahrenheit 451 (Oskar Werner, based on a book by one of my favorite authors Ray Bradbury), For A Few Dollars More (Clint Eastwood), The Gnome Mobile (Walter Brennan – mom took me to a theatre to see this one), The Graduate (Dustin Hoffman music by Simon and Garfunkel), Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner (Spencer Tracy), In The Heat Of The Night (Sidney Portier), The Jungle Book (mom took me to this also), Thoroughly Modern Millie (mom was a Julie Andrews fan, I liked it and Julie Andrews), To Sir, With Love (Sidney Protier, Lulu, I will stop whatever I am doing to watch this movie), Valley of the Dolls (Sharon Tate), The War Wagon (John Wayne one of his first ones that I saw) and You Only Live Twice (Sean Connery “My name is Bond, James Bond” and there was no other).
EVENTS:
Other happenings is America loses it’s first astronauts on Apollo 1, killing Gus Grissom, Edward Higgins White and Roger Chaffee when fire breaks out in the Apollo Command Capsule. The 25th Amendment to the Constitution defining presidential succession is enacted. War protesting is all over the place setting the stage for the next couple of years. Russia has their first cosmonaut die in Soyuz 1, Vladimir Komarov, when his parachute doesn’t open. Elvis and Priscilla get married in Las Vegas. The are a number of race riots in the US cities, a number of people killed, injure and property burned or destroyed. Most notably, the Silver Bridge over the Ohio River in Point Pleasant, WV collapses killing 46 and is linked to the Mothman mystery (another good movie), right before Christmas on Dec 15.
CARTOONS:
New cartoons are Fantastic Four, Journey to the Center of the Earth, George of the Jungle (yes I got teased about this one also), Aquaman Superman Hour, Topcat, and Johnny Quest.
