Anita Bonita
 
LONG-FORM PROGRAMMING
The Rockin' America Top 30 Countdown!
 
NOTE: This is a sample of a "pre-production" script, to which Entertainment Pages and affiliate mentions would be added just before taping.
 
RA86-35x  (8/29/86)
 
Hello, everybody, and welcome to the Rockin' America Top 30 Countdown. My name is Scott Shannon, and every week I count down the 30 hottest hits in the USA--and we talk to the people responsible for those records, people like the Monkees, Run-D.M.C., and Peter Cetera.
 
We'll check out the latest in rock & roll gossip and showbiz news with the Rockin' America Entertainment Page, we'll check in with my assistant pronounceticator Mr. Leonard, and we'll reach into the Rockin' America Mailbag to find out what our listeners have to say.
 
We're on our way to counting down the 30 biggest hits in the USA all the way to the #1 song of the week, but first let's look back on last week's Top Ten hits on Rockin' America: And at the top of last week's chart, the only woman to occupy the head of the heap all by herself since the beginning of June! With last week's #1 song on Rockin' America, here's Madonna and "Papa Don't Preach." That's Madonna and "Papa Don't Preach," the second single from the album True Blue and the #1 song on last week's Rockin' America chart.
 
Now let's move on to this week's Rockin' America Top 30 Countdown. You know, hearts have always been a pretty popular topic for songwriters. We've seen songs come and go with titles like "Heartache," "Heartbeat," "Heart Attack," "Affair of the Heart," "Queen of Hearts"...and now we have a new title and a new artist to add to that list. At number 30 this week on Rockin' America, let's welcome Stacey Q and "Two of Hearts." That's "Two of Hearts" by Stacey Q, brand-new to the Rockin' America Countdown, coming in this week at #30.
 
I'm Scott Shannon, and we'll take you on tour with Genesis--right after this. I'm Scott Shannon, Rockin' America from sea to shining sea with the 30 hottest hits of the week. You are listening to this professional radio broadcast via satellite from the Westwood One Radio Networks on technologically superior radio stations like: Thanks for joining Rockin' America. And now let us re-join our countdown, already in progress, with the #29 song of the week--Kenny Loggins and "Danger Zone." That's Kenny Loggins and "Danger Zone," from the movie Top Gun, falling 7 rungs on the Rockin' America Ladder to #29.
 
And now let's check out the Rockin' America Datebook. Genesis kicks off a 9-month-long world tour on the 18th and 19th of September at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit...then they head up to Toronto on the 21st for an appearance at the CNE...then it's down the New York State Thruway to Madison Square Garden on the 29th, 30th, October 1st and 2nd...and on the 5th & 6th of October you can catch them at the Rosemont Horizon in Chicago. And you can catch Genesis right now at #28 with "Throwing It All Away." That's Genesis with "Throwing It All Away," entering the Rockin' America chart this week at #28.
 
The Jackson men have been fairly quiet lately, but their sisters are "doin' it for themselves." Eldest sister Rebbie's just released a new record called "Reactions" (DROP), but it's still baby sister Janet in Control with the third incredible single from that album. Coming on board this week on Rockin' America at #27, here's Janet Jackson and "When I Think Of You." "When I Think Of You." That's Miss Janet Jackson, debuting this week at #27 on the Rockin' America Top 30 Countdown.
 
I'm Scott Shannon, and we'll be right back with ZZ Top's travelling zoo, on Rockin' America. I'm Scott Shannon, and this is Rockin' America.
 
When ZZ Top toured the country in 1976, their stage set included live snakes, cattle, and buffalo. Now--ten years later--they're still touring the country, but the only animal you'll be sure to find is one of the insect variety. Up 4 points to #26 this week on Rockin' America, here's ZZ Top and "Velcro Fly." That's "that little ol' band from Texas," ZZ Top, and "Velcro Fly," the fourth single from their triple-platinum album Afterburner, this week's #26 song on the Rockin' America Top 30 Countdown.
 
Polish up your Canadian, we're taking off for the Great White North--next--on Rockin' America. I'm Scott Shannon, head hoser here on the official Rockin' America Top 30 Countdown.
 
Now let's head north of the border to the Toronto suburb of Newmarket, home of a band called Glass Tiger. Now you may not have heard of these people, but they move in some pretty heavy company. Check out the credits on their album The Thin Red Line, and you'll find featured the familiar names of Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance--and I know you've heard of them. Brand-new at #25 this week, this is Glass Tiger and "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)." "Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)," from the Canadian quintet Glass Tiger, a Rockin' America debut at #25.
 
And now let's move to the other end of Canada, to Vancouver. Lead guitarist Paul Dean had been a veteran of 13 different bands when he formed Loverboy with Mike Reno, Matt Frenette, Doug Johnson, and Scott Smith back in 1978. Although they had a huge Canadian following, it wasn't until November of 1981 that they cracked the American Top 30 with "Workin' For The Weekend" (DROP). They've since scored several American hits, and the most recent one comes in at #24 this week on Rockin' America. Here's Loverboy, and "Heaven In Your Eyes." That's Loverboy and "Heaven In Your Eyes," up 5 notches to #24 in its second week on the Rockin' America Countdown.
 
Billy Ocean's last album, Suddenly, spawned three Top 5 singles, and one of them, "Caribbean Queen," went all the way to #1 (DROP). Billy's already broken that record with his album Love Zone--the two singles already released have both hit the top, and Billy's hoping the title track will make it three in a row. Moving up three this week to #23, here's Billy Ocean and "Love Zone." That's the title track from Billy Ocean's latest LP Love Zone, in at #23 this week on Rockin' America.
 
AND NOW LET'S CHECK OUT THE ROCKIN' AMERICA ENTERTAINMENT PAGE:
 
 
 
 
I'm Scott Shannon. We'll be right back to rip up some musical myths about the Monkees, next on Rockin' America. I'm Scott Shannon, bringing you all the hits that fit on the Rockin' America Top 30 Countdown.
 
While it's true that the Monkees had never played together as a group before their TV series, all four original members had some musical background. Davy Jones and Michael Nesmith had each recorded for Colpix, Peter Tork had played with Stephen Stills in a folk trio called the Buffalo Fish, and Micky Dolenz had done three singles on the Challenge label--the best-known one was a song called "Don't Do It" (DROP). But was it a success, Mick?
 
ACT: "Noooo...It went to...140 with an anchor."
 
The latest single to feature Micky's voice is doing a lot better than that. Up 2 to #22, hey hey it's the Monkees, and "That Was Then, This Is Now." A mere 20 years after the release of their first single, #22 on this week's Rockin' America chart, the Monkees and "That Was Then, This Is Now."
 
And speaking of long life on the charts, our next artist has been making music in the public eye since he gave up grave-digging in 1963. Rod Stewart's unique vocal style immediately attracted attention, but he didn't move into the superstar ranks until his 1971 smash "Maggie May" (DROP). This week Rod drops down to #21 with the theme from the movie Legal Eagles. Here's Rod Stewart, and "Love Touch." Rod Stewart with "Love Touch," down eight points to #21 on this week's official Rockin' America survey.
 
AND NOW LET'S DIG INTO THE ROCKIN' AMERICA MAILBAG...
 
Dear Nut Hut...I listen to your show every weekend on 1240 KAMQ Carlsbad, New Mexico. Who had the very first #1 song on the Rockin' America Countdown? Thanks for a great show, Susana Cabrera, Carlsbad, New Mexico.
 
Okay, Susana, let's go all the way back to December, 1984, when Rockin' America first attacked your airspace. The #1 record that week was Daryl Hall & John Oates, and "Out of Touch."
 
I'm Scott Shannon. We'll find out what to expect from a gigolo's daughter--when Rockin' America returns right after this.
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HOUR 2
 
I'm Scott Shannon, and you're listening to the 100% pure, no artificial ingredients, Rockin' America Top 30 Countdown.
 
David Lee Roth is probably the last person on earth you'd expect to be discussing kids, but we recently caught him talking about what he'd expect from any daughter of his. Diamond Dave says [QUOTE] "I'll expect her to fuss over the party shoes and make-up, and...at the same time, she's going to learn karate...and to clean her bathroom, too. A woman could do all these things...maybe even better than Daddy." Don't worry, girls--he's speaking hypothetically. Right now the only thing Dave's tied to is the #20 spot on Rockin' America with "Yankee Rose." That's David Lee Roth and "Yankee Rose," up 3 notches to #20 on this week's Rockin' America Hit List.
 
Peter Gabriel traces his rock & roll roots back to one fateful fall day in 1963. He was daydreaming in the back of his parents' car, when on the radio for the first time, he heard the Beatles sing "Please Please Me" (DROP). After that revelation, in short order, young Peter taught himself every Beatles song in existence on piano, and formed a band with some schoolmates that eventually became Genesis. And now Peter's at #19 this week on Rockin' America with his former #1 hit "Sledgehammer." That's Peter Gabriel and "Sledgehammer," sliding down 8 spots this week to #19 on Rockin' America.
 
And now it's time for the Chartbuster of the Week. Run-D.M.C. was recently named the first rap group ever to boast a platinum album, but Darryl, Joseph, and Jay don't like to apply labels to their brand of music:
 
ACT:
 
Moving up a solid ten points from #28 to #18, here's Run-D.M.C. and "Walk This Way." Fresh from the streets of New York City's borough of Queens, that's Run-D.M.C. at #18 with our Rockin' America Chartbuster of the Week, "Walk This Way."
 
Coming up: a guy who'll sing with anyone and a musical question, next on Rockin' America. I'm Scott Shannon, your host on this guided tour of the Top 30 hits all across America.
 
Anyone who's ever seen Hall & Oates in concert knows that Daryl Hall just loves to sing, and he'll sing with just about anyone. As a teenager he did backup vocals for many of the leading Philadelphia soul groups of the '60's...he shared a stage with Billy Joel and Bonnie Raitt at last year's Farm Aid bash, and he's even duetted with the likes of Elvis Costello on "The Only Flame in Town" (DROP). On his new album Three Hearts in the Happy Ending Machine, Daryl vocalizes with Bob Geldof, Joni Mitchell, and the Dream Academy's Kate St. John. And leaping 8 points to #17 on this week's Rockin' America survey is the first single from that album, "Dreamtime." That's Daryl Hall and "Dreamtime," coming in at #17 this week on Rockin' America.
 
Sometimes a popular song will add a whole new phrase to the American vocabulary. (DROP: "Hamala baybala zeebala boobala...") Or even something like (DROP: "Oo-ee-oo-ah-ah, ting-tang, walla-walla-bing-bang). So here at Rockin' America, we were not at all surprised to encounter a bumper-sticker asking that musical question, "Can you woo-woo-woo?" Woo-woo expert Jeffrey Osborne slides back one step to #16 with "You Should Be Mine (The Woo-Woo Song)." Woo-woo-ing his way to #16 this week on Rockin' America, that's Jeffrey Osborne and "You Should Be Mine."
 
AND NOW LET'S TURN TO THE ROCKIN' AMERICA ENTERTAINMENT PAGE:
 
 
 
And on this week's Rockin' America Birthday List:
 
 
I'm Scott Shannon. We'll be right back to tell you all about a very unique receptionist, next on Rockin' America. I'm Scott Shannon, and this is Rockin' America.
 
Last week we told you about Steve Bray, producer and co-writer of Regina's hit "Baby Love." Well, the other half of that writing team turns out to be a lady named Mary Kessler--who, when she's not penning pop hits, works as the receptionist at Unique Recording Studios in New York City. This week, that Bray & Kessler composition moves up 5 points to #15--here's Regina and "Baby Love." That's Regina and the #15 song of the week, "Baby Love," from her debut album on Atlantic Records.
 
Don't go away--we'll explore the soda/pop connection, next on Rockin' America. I'm Scott Shannon, Rockin' America from Lodi, New Jersey to Lodi, California--and all the places in between, with the 30 top hits in the USA. We're heard on the air everywhere via satellite from the Westwood One Radio Networks on incomparable radio stations like: Thanks for joining Rockin' America.
 
Following in the footsteps of Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, and Glenn Frey, Miami Sound Machine recently signed a long-term contract with Pepsi-Cola. And they also sign in with the #14 song of the week on Rockin' America. Here's Miami Sound Machine, and "Words Get In The Way." Miami Sound Machine gains 3 this week on Rockin' America, coming in at #14 with "Words Get In The Way"--their third hit single from the album Primitive Love.
 
Carl Anderson may be Gloria Loring's current musical partner, but at one point that honor belonged to her ex-husband Alan Thicke. Their musical partnership broke up before their marital one did, and these days you'll find Alan on the ABC-TV sitcom Growing Pains--and you'll find Gloria and Carl at #13 on the Rockin' America Countdown with "Friends and Lovers." Stepping up five spots to #13 this week, that's Carl Anderson & Gloria Loring with "Friends and Lovers."
 
AND NOW LET'S CHECK OUT THE ROCKIN' AMERICA MAILBAG:
 
Dear Rockin' America and the Nut Hut...I listen to you every week on WBJW-FM, 105.1 in Orlando, and I would like to know where I can write to the Jets. Are they really from the island of Tonga? Sincerely, Carl D. Keil, St. Cloud, Florida.
 
Well, Carl--technically speaking, the Jets are not from Tonga, since the 8 Wolfgramm kids in the group were all born after their parents moved from Tonga to the United States. Let's say they're of Tongan descent. And you can write to them at "The Jets Club," P.O. Box 290222, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55429.
 
I'm Scott Shannon, and we'll be right back with a guy who thinks big, and a new single from a group that doesn't exist--next on Rockin' America. I'm Scott Shannon, with all the hits to set your feet flappin' and your boombox blazin' on the Rockin' America Top 30 Countdown.
 
Jermaine Stewart has some lofty aspirations. He says that within the next five years, he hopes to have a couple of solid film roles under his belt, and he'd like to have the versatility to play pushers as well as priests. But for now he's content to claim the #12 spot on the Rockin' America chart with "We Don't Have to Take Our Clothes Off." That's Jermaine Stewart and "We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off," down four from #8 to #12 on Rockin' America.
 
Even though Wham! doesn't officially exist anymore, it looks like there will be another Wham! record. George Michael recently went into the studio to re-mix another song from the Final Vinyl compilation for release in the US as a single. This one's called "Battlestations" (DROP). Meanwhile, Wham!'s next-to-last single checks in this week at #11, down 2 notches from last week's #9. This is "The Edge of Heaven." That's George Michael and Andrew Ridgely, better known as Wham!, with "The Edge of Heaven," at #11 on the official Rockin' America Top 30.
 
AND NOW IT'S TIME FOR A ROCKIN' AMERICA EXTRA. Cyndi Lauper first drew our notice in December of 1983 with her colorful clothing, her perky personality, and her outrageous interpretation of Robert Hazard's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" (DROP). But the sheer beauty of her follow-up single "Time After Time"--a song she wrote with Rob Hyman of the Hooters--made us realize there was a lot more to Cyndi than a ditsy doll with rainbow hair and a squeaky voice. Two more Top-Ten singles from her debut album She's So Unusual and a long gap between recordings have made the upcoming Lauper LP one of the most eagerly-awaited records in rock & roll history. Ladies and gentlemen, here's the title track from that album--Cyndi Lauper and "True Colors." That's Cyndi Lauper with "True Colors," from the soon-to-be-released album of the same name--this week's Rockin' America Extra.
 
Coming up next: a new single with an old flip side, when the Rockin' America Countdown continues.
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HOUR 3
 
I'm Scott Shannon, Rockin' America, Europe, Asia, and certain selected islands in the South Pacific with the most popular songs of the week. This radio program comes to you via satellite from the Westwood One Radio Networks on colossal radio stations like: Thanks for joining Rockin' America.
 
And it's time to break into the official Top Ten--here's Michael McDonald and "Sweet Freedom." That's former Doobie Brother Michael McDonald and "Sweet Freedom," up 2 points to #10 this week on Rockin' America.
 
When Huey Lewis and the News decided to release the first single from their album Fore!, they had no trouble picking "Stuck With You." But they must have had a hard time reaching a decision on the flip side, because they ended up going all the way back to their 1980 debut album to find "Don't Ever Tell Me That You Love Me" (DROP). The A-side of that 45 jumps up 5 notches this week to #9. Huey Lewis & the News, and "Stuck With You." That's "Stuck With You," by Huey Lewis & the News, this week's Rockin' America #9.
 
The Timex Social Club story began when the group Con Funk Shun turned down the chance to record a new song written by a group of guys from Sacramento. Producer Jay King talked the composers into recording it themselves on his own label. So they laid down the tracks, took the name Timex Social Club, and now they have the #8 record this week on Rockin' America. This is "Rumors." That's the Timex Social Club and "Rumors," moving from #10 to #8 this week on the Rockin' America Countdown.
 
AND NOW LET'S CHECK OUT THE ROCKIN' AMERICA ENTERTAINMENT PAGE:
 
 
 
 
I'm Scott Shannon. Coming up next, we'll talk about Belinda Carlisle's favorite farmyard friends. Don't go away! I'm Scott Shannon, and you're listening to the all-purpose, industrial-strength Rockin' America Countdown.
 
Especially with a successful solo career and a gorgeous new figure, you'd think Belinda Carlisle would want to do something glamourous with her spare time. But the former Go-Go girl recently went on national TV and told the world that she really wanted to raise piglets. As in little baby piggies. To each her own, I guess. Belinda's at #7 this week with her first solo single, "Mad About You." Belinda Carlisle and "Mad About You," slipping back 3 to #7 on Rockin' America.
 
Up 'til now, Peter Cetera's been pretty happy making music his livelihood. But he's ready to make the move from vinyl to videotape, and he told us all about it.
 
ACT:
 
Peter Cetera's former chart-topper drops 4 points to #6 this week--here's "The Glory of Love." That's "The Glory of Love" by Peter Cetera, Rockin' America this week at #6.
 
AND NOW LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THE ROCKIN' AMERICA MAILBAG:
 
Dear Mr. Shannon...I think your radio programme is the greatest on Earth, and I listen to it on Radio 95 in Trinidad. Can you please tell me the birth date of that foxy dude from Tears for Fears, Roland Orzabal? I don't even need the t-shirt, I just want the answer. Thanks so much, Shawn Taylor, Curepe, Trinidad.
 
Tell you what, Shawn--you get the answer and the t-shirt. Your foxy dude Roland was born on the 22nd of August, 1961. And your official Rockin' America good-lookin' tight-fittin' t-shirt is on its way.
 
I'm Scott Shannon, and I'm gonna give away Lionel Richie's secret--next on Rockin' America. I'm Scott Shannon, and this is Rockin' America.
 
If you've had a chance to see Lionel Richie's latest video, you saw him "Dancing On The Ceiling," just like Fred Astaire did in the movie Royal Wedding. Now here's how he did it--everything on the set is bolted down. Then they rotate the set while Lionel and the camera stay still, so it looks like he's walking on the walls and boogie-ing on the beams. Pretty sneaky, huh? Lionel Richie sneaks into the Top 5 this week with "Dancing on the Ceiling." Lionel Richie and "Dancing on the Ceiling," the #5 song of the week on the Rockin' America Countdown.
 
Up next on Rockin' America--Bananarama has something to "shout" about, and the organ wizard meets the piano man. I'm Scott Shannon, and your dial is locked in on the Rockin' America Top 30 Countdown.
 
You know, Top Gun isn't only the biggest movie so far this year, it's also the biggest soundtrack. In this countdown alone we've already heard Kenny Loggins & "Danger Zone" at #29, Loverboy's "Heaven In Your Eyes" at #24, and now it's time for a third single from that album. At #4 this week on Rockin' America, this is Berlin and "Take My Breath Away." From the Top Gun soundtrack album, that's Berlin and "Take My Breath Away," up 3 spots to #4 this week on Rockin' America.
 
Bananarama's only released one cut from their current album True Confessions, and already they're making plans for their next LP. Banana-rocker Sarah Dallin says the trio will be working with Tears for Fears on their next project, because they think Roland and Curt are brilliant writers--especially on songs like "Shout" (DROP). Bananarama moves two steps closer to the top to #3 this week with "Venus." That's Bananarama and "Venus," Rockin' America's #3 song of the week.
 
When Billy Joel and his band set out to record his new album The Bridge, the piano man thought that one of the tracks, "Getting Closer," was just screaming for one of those patented Stevie Winwood organ solos (DROP). So after trying several times to play it himself, Billy figured "what the heck, it couldn't hurt to ask"--and so those are indeed the magic fingers of Steve Winwood you heard in that musical snippet. You'll also hear Stevie's magic vocal cords in this week's #2 song--this is "Higher Love." Birmingham-born Stevie Winwood and "Higher Love," inching up one slot to #2 this week on the Rockin' America Top 30 Countdown.
 
I'm Scott Shannon, and I'll be right back with the #1 song of the week, when Rockin' America returns. I'm Scott Shannon, this is the Rockin' America Top 30 Countdown, and now here's the moment we've all been waiting for. This lady is no stranger to the top of the Rockin' America chart--in fact, this is her fifth record to occupy that particular position. Holding steady at #1 for the second consecutive week, here's Madonna and "Papa Don't Preach." That's Madonna, and "Papa Don't Preach," the most popular song in the USA and the #1 song of the week once again on Rockin' America. That about wraps it up for this week's Rockin' America Countdown. I'm Scott Shannon. Thanks for listening. See you next week--same time, same station. The official Rockin' America Top 30 is compiled from record sales and radio airplay across the USA to count down the 30 hottest hits in the nation for the week ending August 29th, 1986. Rockin' America is a presentation of the Westwood One Radio Networks, in association with Malrite Creative Services. Produced in New York by Scott Shannon, J.R. Nelson, and the Nut Hut. Written by Anita Bonita. Produced in Los Angeles by Susanella Rogers. Production and engineering by Ron Harris. The Nut Hut is J.R. Nelson, Jack Murphy, Mr. Leonard, John Rio, and Anita Bonita. Associate producer: Steve Longo. Rockin' America is produced for the Westwood One Radio Networks. Executive producer: Norm Pattiz. Be sure to join us again next week to hear the 30 most popular songs in the nation on the Rockin' America Top 30 Countdown. But for now...BYE, BUCKAROOOOOOOS!!!!!
 
--30--
 
 Legends: Duke Ellington and Friends
 
"Music is a world within itself; it's a language we all understand..." And no one understood that better than the man for whom Stevie Wonder wrote those very words in 1976. From the coy playfulness of "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)" to the suave sophistication of "Satin Doll," Edward Kennedy Ellington was the epitome of elegance.
 
During the next three hours, we'll take a look at the life and music of the man they called "The Duke." We'll also hear from some of the many gifted musicians, lyricists, and composers with whom Duke made some of his most memorable music--people like Billy Strayhorn, Al Hibbler, Cootie Williams, Johnny Hodges, Juan Tizol, and Ben Webster--and we'll share with you a special conversation between WNEW's own William B. Williams and Mercer Ellington--the talented composer and bandleader in his own right who has devoted his career to carrying on the tradition his father started.
We'll be back with Duke Ellington & Friends: "Love You Madly," right after this message from Prudential-Bache Securities...rock-solid, market-wise.
COMMERCIAL BREAK #1
Edward Kennedy Ellington was born on April 29th, 1899 in Washington, DC--a time and place in which Victorian manners and mores mingled freely with the black middle class's determination to make something of themselves.
 
He was the son of James Edward Ellington, major domo to a wealthy Washington family, and the former Daisy Kennedy, daughter of a police captain. Although they were not financially well-off, his parents believed strongly that only the best was good enough for their family--and so young Edward grew up more happily than most, with the self-assurance and sense of specialness that comes from being--for all practical purposes, since his sister Ruth was born as he stood on the threshhold of adulthood--the only child of a very doting mother.
 
From this, it is not difficult to see how he acquired the nickname of "Duke" at a very early age. In fact, as a child, he would even make his cousins bow and curtsy to him as he stood atop the steps to his house, saying, "I am the grand, noble Duke; crowds will be running to me."
 
As it turns out, he was correct--although it would be quite a few years before those crowds would come running. Like most children of the Victorian era, young Duke was encouraged to explore all the arts, and he took piano lessons from a local teacher with the unlikely name of Marietta Clinkscales...but this was only for a few months.
 
His real interest in music was awakened when he was about fourteen, after having seen a pianist named Harvey Brooks perform in Philadelphia. Shortly after that, he began to "fool around" on the piano, and wrote his first two compositions: "Soda Fountain Rag" and "What You Gonna Do When The Bed Breaks Down?"
 
He began to play at neighbourhood parties and dances, and apprenticed himself to some local musicians to learn more about chord structure and harmony. He had not, however, decided at this point to commit himself to pursuing music as a career. He had been studying commercial art at Armstrong Technical High School, and even won an NAACP poster contest in his senior year. The prize for this was a scholarship to the prestigious Pratt Institute.
 
We do not know how seriously Duke considered this, because a few other events intervened. First, he failed to graduate from high school, having come within one French course of completing his studies. Secondly, he became involved with a young woman named Edna Thompson. Duke and Edna married on July 2, 1918--and their son Mercer was born the following March.
 
In the early 1920's, Duke had begun to put together the nucleus of what was to become the first Duke Ellington orchestra...players like saxophonist Otto "Toby" Hardwick, trumpeter Arthur Whetsol, and drummer Sonny Greer.
 
By 1923, the various band members found themselves in New York City, primarily in Harlem, determined to make it their own. Known as the Washingtonians, they would spend the next few years refining their style while Duke--realising that publishing was where the money was--began to write songs.
 
An early Ellington milestone came up on September 1st, 1923--the day that trumpeter Bubber Miley joined the band.
[WBW/Mercer clip #2 on the original group]
Bubber would turn out to be the ingredient that provided the Duke Ellington Orchestra with their first big hit--"East St. Louis Toodle-Oo."
EAST ST LOUIS TOODLE-OO
3:13--BBC CD (3-4-30 VERSION)
By this time, some additional players had joined the group: banjo player Freddy Guy [who would stay with the band for nearly 25 years], Wellman Braud  [who would be their bassist from 1927 to 1935], trombonist Joe Nanton--better known as "Tricky Sam" [whose tenure lasted until he was sidelined by a stroke in 1945], and saxman Harry Carney, who would be a cornerstone of the Duke Ellington Orchestra for the next 47 years, until the passing of Duke himself.

1927 also saw the beginning of the band's engagement at the Cotton Club, a gig that would bring them widespread attention and acclaim. In their five years there, the group would undergo some additional personnel changes--the most important of which brought clarinetist Barney Bigard, saxophonist Johnny Hodges, and trombonist Juan Tizol--and saw Cootie Williams replace Bubber Miley as the #1 man on trumpet.

Bubber had always been one of Ellington's "bad boys," and the final straw leading to his departure was his failure to turn up for an important recording session for this piece, "Black & Tan Fantasy."

BLACK & TAN FANTASY
2:49--BBB CD (5-1-45 version)
That was the third version of "Black & Tan Fantasy" recorded by the Ellington Orchestra, featuring Tricky Sam's last extended solo on disc with the Orchestra. The second theme, originally assigned to Toby Hardwick, is played here by Harry Carney.
 
The last major piece of the band's "early years" was one that Ellington's biographer James Lincoln Collier termed "a wholly satisfying piece of music." Developed out of King Oliver's "Camp Meeting Blues," "Creole Love Call" is a study in contrasting textures. This version was recorded in 1932, attributed to "Duke Ellington & His Famous Orchestra."
CREOLE LOVE CALL
4:08 BBC CD [11-2-32]
These three pieces, "East St Louis Toodle-oo," "Black & Tan Fantasy" and "Creole Love Call," clearly demonstrate that the Duke Ellington Orchestra was well on its way.

We'll take a look at the next phase in the history of the band, starting with "Mood Indigo," right after this word from Prudential-Bache Securities...rock-solid, market wise.

COMMERCIAL BREAK #2
Of all the many compositions associated with Duke Ellington and his Orchestras, the quintessential "blue mood" piece would have to be the one Collier described as "shifting slowly, with the stealth of a sunset." This is "Mood Indigo."
MOOD INDIGO
2:47--BBB CD [5-1-45 version]
Originally cut in December, 1930, that was the 1945 version of "Mood Indigo," featuring vocalist Kay Davis and Al Sears on tenor sax. Interestingly enough, who actually composed the piece is still debated. Barney Bigard always claimed that he'd written most of it and even successfully sued Ellington to have his name put on it. There's even talk that it was directly lifted from the A.J. Piron Orchestra's "Dreamy Blues." Whatever the case, it remains among the most important portions of the Ellington canon.
 
This period was a very productive one for Duke and the Orchestra, giving us some of what remain even today as his best-known songs, like this one derived from a Cootie Williams catchphrase..."It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)."
IT DON'T MEAN A THING
2:59--BBB CD [5-14-45]
Vocalists Marie Ellington, Joya Sherrill, and Kay Davis, and some self-described "rooty-tootin'" by Al Sears on a 1945 version of "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)."
 
By this time, Ellington had established an unorthodox--but effective--means of composition. In this conversation with William B. Williams, Mercer Ellington talks about how his father applied this method to two enduring standards.
[WBW/Mercer clip #5--"Sophisticated Lady," "Sentimental Mood"]
 
SOPHISTICATED LADY
2:42--BBB CD
 
IN A SENTIMENTAL MOOD
3:02--BBB CD
The 1945 editions of two Ellington classics from the early '30's, "Sophisticated Lady" and "In A Sentimental Mood."
 
In the summer of 1933, the Duke Ellington Orchestra crossed the Atlantic for a British tour. To his astonishment, Ellington found that in Europe he was not regarded as merely a successful bandleader--but as a major American composer. Duke later claimed that the trip "got him out of a bad groove," and once again began composing in earnest.
 
The advent of the Benny Goodman band and the Swing Era saw many popular orchestras go under...but the Duke Ellington Orchestra, possessed of a wonderfully rich tonal palette, managed to weather the storm with compositions such as "Caravan," "I Let A Song Go Out of My Heart," and "Prelude to a Kiss."
CARAVAN
2:47--BBB cd [5-1-45]
 
I LET A SONG GO OUT OF MY HEART
3:04--BBB cd [5-15-45]

PRELUDE TO A KISS
3:01--BBB cd [5-10-45]

Three late '30's classics in their 1945 incarnations: the exotic sound of "Caravan," with Duke's piano as part of the rhythm section ..."I Let A Song Go Out of My Heart," featuring a Harry Carney bass clarinet introduction to Joya Sherrill's vocal...and "Prelude to a Kiss," perfectly demonstrating the innovative Ellington piano style that so influenced the talented Thelonious Monk.
 
We'll return with the Fabulous Forties...after this message from Prudential-Bache Securities...rock solid, market wise.
COMMERCIAL BREAK #3
The early 1940's saw the high point of the career of the many different editions of the Duke Ellington Orchestra. The variety of compositional approaches and musical styles is nothing short of astonishing, from the monochromatic intensity of "Ko-Ko" through the straightforward romp of "Cotton Tail."
KO-KO
2:39--RCA Piano Box [3-6-40]

COTTON TAIL
3:08--RCA Piano Box [5-4-40]

Two recordings from the Spring of 1940, "Ko-Ko"--which Ellington claimed was to have been part of an opera based on the history of blacks in America--and "Cotton Tail," a bouncy bop on the chords of Gershwin's "I Got Rhythm," featuring perhaps the most celebrated tenor sax solo ever, performed by Ben Webster.
 
The incredible productivity that characterised early 1940 continued into the summer, with pieces like July's "Harlem Air Shaft" and early September's "In A Mellotone."
HARLEM AIR SHAFT
2:57--RCA Piano box set [7-22-40]
 
IN A MELLOTONE
3:19--RCA Piano box set [9-5-40]
Ellington's classic tone poem "Harlem Airshaft," and "In a Mellotone," based on the chord progression of Art Hickman's 1919 work "Rose Room." In addition to the carried-over chord structure, the end of Cootie Williams' trumpet solo quotes directly from a piece the group had recorded just four months before, called "Never No Lament," which later added a vocal to become "Don't Get Around Much Anymore."
NEVER NO LAMENT
3:15--RCA Piano Box set [5-4-40]

DON'T GET AROUND MUCH ANYMORE
Mel Torme

Adding lyrics to an instrumental hit was nothing new to the Ellington portfolio, as Mercer Ellington explains in his conversation with William B. Williams:
[WBW/ Mercer clip 9--"Do Nothin'"/"Concerto for Cootie"/"I'm Just A" ...]
 
CONCERTO FOR COOTIE
3:19--RCA Piano Box set [3-15-40]
 
DO NOTHIN' 'TIL YOU HEAR FROM ME
Al Hibbler
 
I'M JUST A LUCKY SO & SO
3:11--BBB cd [11-24-45]
A couple of Al Hibbler vocals, on "I'm Just A Lucky So & So" and "Do Nothin' 'Til You Hear From Me," and the piece on which the latter was based, "Concerto for Cootie," featuring the inimitable Cootie Williams.
 
Cootie's departure from the band in early November of 1940 was the first event of three that would cause a radical shift in the group's modus operandi. The second was the royalty dispute between ASCAP and the National Association of Broadcasters. This meant that in order to have his orchestra played on the radio, Ellington had to produce new non-ASCAP music. The quantity of material needed forced him to turn to additional composers, such as his son Mercer and trombonist Juan Tizol, frequently Duke's copyist and the man responsible for the irrepressible "Perdido."
PERDIDO
3:08--RCA Piano box set [1-21-42]
Juan Tizol's "Perdido," featuring some "stretchin' out" by Ben Webster and Ray Nance, who filled the hole left by Cootie's departure.
 
The third event in that time period to affect the band's output was Duke's involvement with the "revu-sical" Jump for Joy, which opened in Los Angeles during the summer of 1941. The revue--a musical with a message--showcased an all-black cast, as well as the Ellington Orchestra and vocalists Ivie Anderson and Herb Jeffries, the latter also known as "The Bronze Buckaroo." According to Ellington himself in his autobiography Music Is My Mistress, the show's aim was to "take Uncle Tom out of the theatre, eliminate the stereotyped image that had been exploited by Hollywood and Broadway, and say things that would make the audience think."
 
Ellington wrote much of the music for the revue, and recorded six of the songs while he and the group were in Hollywood. Among them were the title track and the classic "I Got It Bad (And That Ain't Good)."
JUMP FOR JOY
2:50--RCA Piano Box [7-2-41]
 
I GOT IT BAD [AND THAT AIN'T GOOD]
3:17--RCA Piano Box [6-26-41]
"Jump for Joy" and "I Got It Bad [And That Ain't Good]," from the 1941 Hollywood "re-vusical" Jump for Joy, starring the Duke Ellington Orchestra.
 
We'll move ahead to an ambitious attempt at broadening the scope of modern jazz...right after this message from Prudential-Bache Securities...rock-solid, market-wise.
COMMERCIAL BREAK #4
After Jump for Joy, Duke Ellington's next major project was considered "a culmination of all his previous efforts to expand the scope of jazz composition." The piece was called "Black, Brown, and Beige," a work 57 minutes long that was, as Ellington wrote in Music Is My Mistress, "planned as a tone parallel to the history of the American Negro."
 
 "BB&B," as it became known, premiered at Carnegie Hall on January 23, 1943. The composition was well-received by the overflowing audience and even by the music and entertainment magazines of the day [such as Down Beat, Metronome, Variety, and Billboard]--but was panned considerably by the following morning's New York newspapers.
 
By the end of the year, it was withdrawn from the band's concert repertoire. However, Duke eventually decided that the piece deserved a properly recorded version. He pared it down to 18 minutes' worth of music, and began recording the truncated version on December 11, 1944.
Although as a whole the composition was extremely unfocused, it did provide four-and-a-half minutes as close to sheer perfection as anything ever attempted by the Duke Ellington Orchestras--the section from the "Black" movement called "Come Sunday."
COME SUNDAY
4:29--BBB CD [12-12-44]
"Come Sunday," from "Black, Brown, and Beige"--with the incomparable Johnny Hodges on tenor sax. The beauty of the melody itself is well-illustrated on this vocal version by Joe Williams:
COME SUNDAY
3:11--cart--Joe Williams with the Thad Jones Orchestra
Joe Williams with the Thad Jones Orchestra.
 
We'll return with more of Duke Ellington & Friends: "Love You Madly," following this word from Prudential-Bache Securities...rock-solid, market-wise.
COMMERCIAL BREAK #5
The middle to late 1940's saw the departure of several other stalwarts of the Duke Ellington Orchestra. As we mentioned previously, the first to go was Cootie Williams in November of 1940. He was gradually followed by bassist Junior Blanton, who left due to tuberculosis in 1941, and passed away in July, 1942...by Barney Bigard, whose stay with the band ended in June, 1942...by Ben Webster in 1943...by Juan Tizol in 1944...and by Toby Hardwick in 1946. Tricky Sam Nanton had left the band a year before due to a stroke, but was just about to return when he was felled in his sleep by a fatal hemorrhage on July 21, 1946. The last couple of sessions before his death, held on July 9th, gave us "Just Squeeze Me."
JUST SQUEEZE ME
3:20--BBB CD--[7-9-46]
Ray Nance sings "Just Squeeze Me," the vocal version of "Subtle Slough" from Jump for Joy--with Johnny Hodges caressing the melody across the bridge.
 
If all these subtractions affected the band, there were a few additions to offset them. One of these was a pretty teenage vocalist from Detroit named Joya Sherrill, whose voice you've heard on a few of the selections earlier in this program. It's also heard to good advantage on this 1944 recording of a musical collaboration between Duke Ellington, Johnny Hodges, and Harry James--"I'm Beginning to See The Light."
 I'M BEGINNING TO SEE THE LIGHT
 3:11--BBB CD [12-1-44]
Some unison playing by Hodges and Brown, a couple of solos by Ellington and bassist Junior Raglin, and a Joya Sherrill vocal, on "I'm Beginning to See The Light."
 
By the mid-1940's, the band was in turmoil. In fact, between 1942 and 1949, Ellington recorded with 15 different trumpet players! It was safe to say that at that point, "Things Ain't What They Used to Be."
THINGS AIN'T WHAT THEY USED TO BE
3:06--BBB CD [10-8-45]
Written by Mercer Ellington and for many years the band's closing theme, that was the 1945 recording of "Things Ain't What They Used To Be."
 
According to the Collier biography of Duke, "over the ten years from 1946, when the Duke Ellington orchestra swept the Down Beat polls, to the Newport Festival of 1956, its reputation gradually but steadily declined both with the general public and with the ardent jazz fans." By 1950, bebop was established as the new direction jazz was to take, and the glory days for the Duke Ellington Orchestra were coming to a close.
 
However, 1950 also brought what was to become the band's salvation: tenor saxophonist Paul Gonsalves. In short, Gonsalves was a character. Here, Mercer Ellington shares with us his father's thoughts on the topic:
[Harlan/Mercer 5:30 in..."the slow boat to China."]
Technically speaking, Gonsalves was not one of the great saxophonists in jazz--but at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival, he provided the Duke Ellington Orchestra with one of the most incredible performances ever caught on vinyl, tape, or CD. Amazingly enough, according to one source, Gonsalves was not sure of what he was supposed to be doing on his solo--so Ellington reportedly told him, "Just get out there and blow your tail off."
 
And so he did. George Avakian, who recorded the concert for Columbia, commented, "Halfway through Paul's solo, [the audience] had become an enormous single, living organism, reacting in waves like huge ripples to the music played before it."
 
Ladies and gentlemen, recorded live at Newport on July 7th, 1956, the Duke Ellington Orchestra featuring Paul Gonsalves on tenor, and "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue."
DIMINUENDO & CRESCENDO IN BLUE
14:37--Ellington at Newport CD
"Diminuendo & Crescendo in Blue," recorded live at the 1956 Newport Jazz Festival. Over thirty years later, it remains as spine-tingling as it was that hot July night.
 
We'll be back with Duke's later works, when Duke Ellington & Friends: "Love You Madly" continues, right after this from Prudential-Bache Securities...rock-solid, market-wise.
COMMERCIAL BREAK #6
After the Ellington Orchestra's great success at Newport, a new spirit seemed to infuse the band. In fact, some of the prodigal sons made returns, if only for a short while. Hodges came back in 1955, Tizol and Brown returned in 1960, and even Cootie Williams made a comeback in the mid-'60's.
 
But for the most part, after Newport, Ellington's main focus was concert pieces. 1957 saw the composition of "A Drum Is A Woman," recently revived by Mercer Ellington...and other pieces of that era include "Such Sweet Thunder," written for the Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Ontario..."Suite Thursday," for the 1960 Monterey Jazz Festival..."The Far East Suite," written in 1966 following his tours of Japan a few years before...and his series of "Sacred Concerts," beginning with the first one's premiere in San Francisco on September 16, 1965.
 
In his later years, Ellington also composed the scores for quite a few films, including 1959's Anatomy of a Murder [a triple Grammy winner that year] and 1961's Paris Blues--performed here by Steve Lacy and the late Gil Evans.
PARIS BLUES
5:17--Steve Lacy/Gil Evans "Paris Blues" CD
Recorded in December of 1987, one of the last recordings he made before his passing, that's the late Gil Evans with Steve Lacy, and their version of Ellington's "Paris Blues."
 
In the past few hours, we've gone through most of the life and works of Duke Ellington...but one name most inextricably linked with his has been conspicuous in its absence. Of course, we're talking about Billy Strayhorn.
 
Billy Strayhorn--assistant arranger-composer-lyricist-and sometimes pianist, who joined the band in 1939--enjoyed a very complex relationship with both Ellingtons--Duke and Mercer, as Mercer told William B. Williams.
[WBW Clip #6, about 1:30 into clip, on Strayhorn]
As Duke himself put it, "He was not, as he was often referred to by many, my alter ego. Billy Strayhorn was my right arm, my left arm, all the eyes in the back of my head, my brainwaves in his head, and his in mine."
 
The combination of Strayhorn and Ellington provided us with some of the most memorable compositions in the history of recorded music, including three that would be classics in any era: "Lush Life," "Satin Doll," and "Take the 'A' Train."
LUSH LIFE
 
SATIN DOLL
 
TAKE THE A TRAIN--Digital Duke
Three classic collaborations by the nonpareil partnership of William Strayhorn and Edward Kennedy Ellington.
 
We'll be right back with some closing thoughts, after this message from Prudential-Bache Securities--rock solid, market-wise.
COMMERCIAL BREAK #7
Edward Kennedy Ellington--the Duke--died of pneumonia on May 24, 1974, at the age of 75. He left a legacy of over 1500 compositions, countless fine recordings, and friends and admirers all over the world. We asked his son Mercer how he thought his father would want to be remembered.
[Harlan/Mercer clip, 8:30 into interview]
We leave you now with Duke's customary exit line, and Rosemary Clooney's recording of his 1939 composition "I'm Checking Out--Goombye." Thank you for joining us.
DUKE--"I Love You Madly"
 
I'M CHECKING OUT--GOOMBYE
3:47--Rosie Clooney--on cart
Duke Ellington & Friends: "Love You Madly," part of the LEGENDS series, is a presentation of AM 1130, WNEW, New York. Produced, directed, and narrated by Quincy McCoy and Jim Harlan. Written and researched by Anita Bonita. Music coordination by Tom Tracy and Lenny Triola. Special thanks to Mercer Ellington, James Lincoln Collier, Tony Monte, Ray Newton at RCA Records, and the artists and record companies whose recordings are featured in this program.
Duke Ellington & Friends: "Love You Madly." A Pride of New York Production, exclusively for Metropolitan Broadcasting Corporation and AM 1130, WNEW.
 
 
 
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