"The Great Gold Rush of '07"
 

Despite the initial puffery about WCBS FM bringing back “oldies., it turns out they are not going to call them “oldies.” Great! The onrushing wave of boomers do not, will not, tolerate being called “old.” even by implication. Millions of burgeoning “boomers” are sensitive enough about crossing the 40+ threshold without somebody rubbing it in.

Aside from “Boomer Radio,” may I suggest a name that says it all? It’s “The Gold Rush”

The original Gold Rush created a euphoric rush across the western prairies despite hostile Indians, brackish water and hellish heat till the 49’ers reached California and began panning frantically…for Gold!!!.

Actually, if there was a golden song hit in the west, literally with a bullet, in those days, I heartily suggest playing it, not in heavy rotation but, occasionally “framing” it as the programmers term it..

Why not open the Pandora’s Music Box and play everything in it. There’s gold in that there box. Shame just to leave it there.

Much has happened even in the short period since WCBS FM retired “Oldies,” The Boomers have sophisticated. They had to. No one was playing their music. Now, they like anything that sounds good. Consider, “Oh Brother Where Art Thou?” Try to figure the success of that one out for any reason other than that it was simply a fun CD.

I would like to join the fun and suggest some music. About the songs I am about to lay on you: most are familiar and were popular for a short period, then cast aside. All are poised to be welcomed back like old friends.

They all have one thing in common: they are non-tuneoutable. Sprinkle them among the more obvious 70’s and 80’s songs and there will be no tune-outs. BTW, this may be the last time you will see me mention 70’s and 80’s or any other time frame. There is no chronology in the radio I hear in my head, only timeless music that grabs.

The following list reveals the scope of the music, lost by the erosion of time to millions of listeners who stand ready to embrace it again, re-igniting warm feelings. Mixed by ear, no one can match it.

Flamingo – Earl Bostic

I Heard It Through the Grapevine - Gladys Knight and the Pips

Happy Organ – Baby Cortez

How Sweet It is – James Taylor

Let the Music Play – Barry White

Over the Rainbow – Harry Nilsson

Blueberry Hill – Fats Domino

At Last – Etta James

My Sweet Lord – George Harrison

Shining Star - Earth Wind and Fire

Dance to the Music – Sly and the Family Stone

Let the Music Play – Rita Coolidge (Tops in ’77)

All Night Long – Lionel Ritchie

Sunny Side of the Street – Manhattan Transfer

Also Sprach Zarathustra – Deodato

Over My Head – Fleetwood Mac

50 Ways – Paul Simon

I Can’t Get Started – Barry Manilow

Tiny Dancer – Elton John

Our Day Will Come – Frankie Valli

Selected Songs – Josh Groban

Selected Songs – Andrea Bocelli

Beatle Songs – Count Basie

Turn Turn Turn – The Turtles

Silly Love Song – Paul McCartney

Baby, I Need Your Lovin’ – Four Tops

Wool Bully – Sam the Sham

Rescue Me – Fontana Bass

I’ve Got Your Under My Skin – Frank Sinatra

Stardust – Nat Cole

Straighten Up and Fly Right – Linda Ronstadt or Nat Cole

Big Bad Leroy Brown – Jim Croce

Yo Feets’ Too Big – Fats Waller

S’Wonderful – Julie London

Dancing in the Streets – Martha and the Vandellas

Ain’t Nobody Here But Us Chickens – Louie Jordan

Dream – Roy Orbison or The Pied Pipers

House of Blue Lights – Ella Mae Morse or Asleep at the Wheel

Louie Louie – The Kingsmen

Lean on Me – Bill Withers

Dancing Queen – Abba

For Once in my Life – Stevie Wonder

I’ll Take You There –The Stapletons

I Love a Rainy Night – Johnny Rabbit

That’s What Friends are For – Elton, Stevie, Dionne, and Gladys

Oye Como Va –Santana

Groovin’ – Rascals

What’s Love Got to Do With It ? – Tina Turner

More Today Than Yesterday – Spiral Staircase

Kind of a Drag – The Buckinghams

Jumping Jack Flash – Rolling Stones

Joy to the World – Three Dog Night

Crimson and Clover – Tommy James

La Bamba – Ritchie Valens

Tequila – The Champs

I Feel Good – James Brown

Summertime Blues – Eddie Cochran

In the Summertime – Mongo Jerry

Summer Breeze – Seals and Croft

Hot Fun in the Summertime – Sly

As Times Goes By – Jimmy Durante

Summertime – Janis Joplin

Swingin’ Shepherd Blues – Moe Shepherd

Play a few Pop Standards, not the entire piece, but run a minute or two of the great swing instrumentals at the end of the hour going into the break, timeless music as a background to billboard what is coming up in the next hour. Most of you know the new swing bands, but here are some of the classics.

One more thing: These are no longer Pop Standards, but Show Tunes.

Big Noise from Winnetka: - Bob Crosby

Cherokee – Charlie Barnet

Sing Sing Sing – Benny Goodman

Skokian – Ralph Martieri

Salt Peanuts – Count Basis

Norwegian Wood – Maynard Ferguson

Selected Songs – Artie Shaw Grammercy Five

Rag Mop – Ralph Flanagan

Night Train – Buddy Morrow

Shanty Town – Ted Heath

One O’clock Jump – Harry James

Fly Me to the Moon – Buddy Fite

Beat me Daddy – Ray McKinley

Selected Songs – Benny Goodman Sextet

No Name Jive – Jerry Gray

Man With a Horn – Ray Anthony

Grazing in the Grass –Hugh Masakela

Well Git It – Tommy Dorsey

Selected Songs – Johnny Keating Orchestra

Not to be run often, but delivered the way a good pitcher throws a slider when everyone is expecting a fast ball down the middle. There is an established broadly demographic tolerance for swing that should be exploited. Bob Crosby’s “Big Noise from Winnetka” became a favorite with my rock audience.

There are hundreds of these great swing instrumentals. Over time, your older cume listeners will blend in with your core audience. Playing them is a coded message to them that you know they are there and honor them. Once you nail your target audience, total (65+) Cumes will be the tie breakers in a competitive buy.

How important is swing?

Anyone 35+ will tell you, “It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing.”

Even now, before the wave of new Boomers comes crashing in, we are looking at 48% of the households, 78 million people, about to explode exponentially in numbers, and spending power.

Their kids are gone, and now is the time for Boomers to be kids again. The one who dies with the most toys wins. And you media planners are the ones who can keep them up on the latest toys…on radio. Boomers were imprinted by Radio. Imprints are insidious, stay with us all our lives.

The thing is: don’t just do radio. Surround it. Do what is not done elsewhere. Most people feel they are on the edge of gravity, in danger of falling off. Bring them into the center where it is safe. Most important, make their lives more fun. Fun; one of the purposes of life.

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Next week: Roger Hedgecock describes his Washington caper with 29 other talk show hosts in their crusade against the Immigration Bill, and fires back at his critics.