Show Duplicate for Mar 22, 2013: Mar 08, 2013 Justin Moore: Garrett Coliseum: The author recalls with fondness the casual neighborliness that existed within his community, the freedom that children enjoyed to roam and play, and the slower pace of life that prevailed. What made those shows big was that Dan and Cyril would always pick the artists who were hot at the time, remembered Bill J. Moody, a former WBAM announcer and later host of Hubcap Classics. If a group had a hit record, we would have them. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. Bobby Dupree (L) and Sonny Grier of the Rockin' Gibraltars. You can either do that, or you will not have a place to change. Ticket prices were $2 for shows in the early 1960s, gradually increasing to a top price of $5.50, a pittance by todays standards. Their big prize was three VOX . The Brennan Brothers were radio broadcast innovators of the 1950s and 60s, when they owned and operated powerhouse stations in Jacksonville, Chattanooga, and . Big Bam Fall Spectacular has had 1 concert. More on the Grateful Dead's 1995 shows in Birmingham, from AL.com's "Lost Stories" series. Ask anyone who was there. Toni loved doing the show, but Daryl, who never enjoyed being on camera, did not. Peter (Asher) and Gordon (Waller), Big BAM Show. Office Phone: (334) 244-0961 Office Fax: (334) 279-9563 Rick Peters - President / General Manager Jennifer Pestrichelli - Director of Sales Jay Scott - Operations Manager Shelby Ingram - Promotions Director Because it was so big, we ran on stage as soon as we were introduced, grabbed our instruments and started playing before the applause died down. The most popular group, both Brennan brothers agree, was Hermans Hermits (see sidebar below). We didnt play where people sat around and drank. I had to play the whole set standing up!. We had a fabulous time.. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). ", "Rolling Stones in Auburn '69," said James Robert Chambless. The station is locally owned and operated by Bluewater Broadcasting Company, LLC. ", From UABMBA: "One of the greatest concerts in Alabama was The Rolling Stones with Chuck Berry at Auburn Memorial Coliseum, November 14, 1969. . He didn't insist onphotos. The Rolling Stones. Bottom (l-r), Ronnie Monroe, Bobby Dupree and Rusty Crumpton. He must have played an hour and 20 minutes or more. The Byrds. Paul Revere & the Raiders. As a result, Captain and Tennille declined ABC's offer to do a second season. Find the answers to any question. Date:Sun, 5 Jun 2005 09:12:45 -0400 I'll tell you a story about that WBAM show in Montgomery. Think it was 1977," says Craigmo. We played all the way through college, says Long. "Tuscaloosa Memorial Coliseum 1972," said Randy Palmer. Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy Uploaded 11 years ago Music 4; Photos 0; Interview . Prattville, Alabama 36066 (334) 358-9460 View Weekly Ad Hours Store Services Full Furniture with Mattresses Furniture Leasing Furniture Delivery Milk, Eggs & Grocery Featured Be a Backyard Bigionaire! J Jackie Culpepper 662 followers More information WBAM Big Bam Shows Remembered Record Case Montgomery Growing Up 60s Old Things Teen Memories Remember Videos For fans, half the fun was trying for a glimpse of the stars at their hotel or coming to and from the coliseum. Jerry Lee Lewis hristie Lou C. Paul Revere & the Raiders . He never collectedconcertposters, handbills orother pieces of memorabilia. Readers shared fond memories of June Jam, the annual music festival that ran 1982-1997. Vocalist in Salem, Alabama 1,320 views on fandalism. "We'd camp out at the door, on the steps and wait. Where else could you scream your head off while watching a dozen live acts play the hit songs you listened to on your transistor radio for the whopping ticket price of $2.50? ", From Cobb: "Buckingham Nicks in Morgan Auditorium Tuscaloosa Alabama Fall 1973.". Its magic, said Beavers. Top (l-r), Keith Brewer, Ed Sanford and Sonny Grier. Big Bam All-Star Spring Show Setlists Apr 8 1967 Date Saturday, April 8, 1967 Venue Garrett Coliseum, Montgomery, AL, USA So far there are setlists of 9 gigs Saturday, April 8, 1967 Garrett Coliseum, Montgomery, AL Blues Magoos Brian Hyland Lou Christie The Buckinghams The Casinos The Electric Prunes The Royal Guardsmen The Turtles Capital Cool. All rights reserved (About Us). "What's that Frank Sinatra song? I said, 'Well, this is Roy's show. That way I could see the stars and hear the music better. George Harrison is behind Dan on the left, John Lennon on the right. The Young Rascals. It was great! YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. We occasionally wouldn't fill all three seatings in Birmingham, but I don't think we ever had one that was less than about 70 percent full, with all three together. by Lenore Reese Vickrey: photos by the Brennan Family, Lenore Vickrey, As the arena began to fill up, you could hear the noise of the crowd from backstage. Dislike Share. With no sound checks between acts, group would run on stage and begin playing almost immediately. I tasted my first grits there my very first grit (laughs). All who attended the big September 19th show must present ticket stub at gate between 12 noon and 1PM. ", From Denniswingo: "The Grateful Dead in 1978 at the Boutwell Auditorium. The Rockin' Gibraltars, Montgomery, 1960s. I remember some of them telling us they came to every show that whole year.". Hisconcertseries rocked their worlds and shaped their music tastes, in tandem with WVOK. This was the last concert they did before going back to LA and joining the band Fleetwood Mac. A memorable night that I won't ever forget. I missed a bunch more, though!". Dan Brennan, center, backstage at the Shower of Stars with with Paul Revere & the Raiders. December 3, 1955-As an extra Bonus..here's the advertisement for sister station WBAM, Montgomery, AL, when the very young Elvis Presley appeared. The entire show was magic, beginning with The Stranger and of course included many of the unknown Joel early songs. Members: Original members John Key, David Headley and Bob Corley plus David Langford, Mike Mobley, Larry Hughes, Bobby Johnson and Rick Roper. "Marty Robbins came up to me, and he looked so sad," Brennan recalls. From Billy Bromberg: "Led Zeppelin 1973, Coleman Coliseum." "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. We would always find the artists who were very popular with our audience, and we would try to get them, and we usually were successful.". He was a very special guy. Tickets were priced at$1.50-$5.50 per show, Brennan says, and artists' fees usually ran about $300-$7,500 per act. Of all the concerts I've been to in my lifetime, this one was the most memorable. "He said, 'Dan, I like to play for you here in town, but I don't want you to ever book me on a show like this again. And the Brennans knew how to put on a show.. They responded, swiftly and passionately, to a recent post listing 31 of the greatest shows at venues throughout the state. The bands would come in cars -- just plain old cars -- and they'd get their guitars out and walk past you. Categories . Moody also got to do his share of transporting stars, taking them to the Diplomat Inn, owned by Bill Brennan, older brother of Cyril and Dan and a partner in WBAM and WAPE. Both stations played Top 40 hits of the day, and the concerts were the Brennans' gifts to a loyal radio audience. Formed: 1972, Tuscaloosa. The Who played there. FUNK-ON. "Rolling Stones, October 5, 1989, Legion Field," said Emily A. BB King's penultimate show at the Alabama (sitting but still playing and not drifting into non sequitur land). Dan Brennan had the honor of introducing the Beatles. "Little Feat at Boutwell mid 70s. Four dates per year were standard -- in winter, spring, summer and fall -- and total attendance topped out at 15,000 people for each three-show stint in Birmingham. Canned Heat. One show in particular stands out. Montgomery resident Mike Vickery remembers getting a friends mother to drive him and others to the WBAM station to get tickets as soon as they went on sale so we could get them near the front on the floor. On one occasion, he accompanied some female friends to the Diplomat Inn where they spotted Lou Christie sitting by the pool, a secret one of them has never told her mother to this day.. The band has undergone several incarnations. ", From dassani: "I was there Could not have been better! Each episode had a specific theme, mission, or challenge which was accomplished by performing pranks, skateboarding, and enlisting the help of . From:"Rodney Justo" To:"robert register" Subject:Re: HEY EL NIXO! The resulting concerts -- which evolved into a series called the WVOK Shower of Stars in Birmingham, the Big BAM shows in Montgomery and the Big APE Convention in Jacksonville -- became enormously popular with radio listeners. ", The Birmingham News file photo/Philip Barr. The Brennan kids were popular during the concert years, as you might expect, and Bartoletti says she, her four siblings and her cousins were fixtures at the WVOK shows, seated in the front row. From kwe: "The best I've seen are all of the Big Bam shows during the '60s in Montgomery, Garrett Coliseum; Eagles, 1977 in Mobile: Fleetwood Mac, 1977 in Bham CC; Atlanta Rhythm Section, 1978 in Troy Sartain; Heart/America, 1985 in Montgomery CC; Stevie Ray Vaughn/Joe Cocker, 1986 in Bham Oak Mtn; Rolling Stones, 1989 in Bham Legion Field; John Fogerty/Willie Nelson, 2006 in Bham Oak Mtn; Chicago, 2011 in Mtgy MPAC. fireworks at the end while playing freebird.??? At the time, though, Brennan was simply doing his job, helping the family's radio stations to connect with listeners in a vivid, concrete way. Add the extra costs associated with security guards and insurance, and hiring bands is not a profitable option for many club owners. The last concert at Big Bam Fall Spectacular was on September 30, 1966. When I got on stage the drum kit seat was way too high. George Howell, who as George the D.J. co-hosted Hubcap Classics, was a big fan of the BAM shows beginning in the 9th grade. Pitiful (Otis Redding) sound so much better with real horns.. "Put You Down" was written by lead guitarist Max Kendrick and vocalist Rich Gainer. The football stadiumposed a few extra challenges, Brennan says, from seating assignments to sound quality to weather preparation. ", "I'm also inclined to mention 1982 at Boutwell when the Blizzard of Ozz played; Randy Rhoades' third to last appearance before his tragic death," said GmanGent. Montgomery's home for country music favorites like Tim McGraw, Blake Shelton, Alan Jackson, George Strait, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert . WBAM, also known as 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. And the Shower of Stars concerts still linger in localmemory. ", From Larry Gilbreath: "I know it's been a long time ago but not one single June Jam in Fort Payne on the list unbelievable." Believing they could be the next stateside version of the Beatles, they went by a variety of catchy names: The Rockin Gibraltars, the Sweet Young Uns, The Drones, The Fabulous Shades, the Gate Band. By the summer of 1975 hed joined singer and keyboardist Eddie Wohlford and drummer Tommy Beavers to become part of Harvest, the precursor to the group Harmony at the Kove that spawned two major talents who made it big nationally: Tommy Shaw and Beth Nielsen Chapman. Skyping with a Hermit ), "I remember we used to have people come out to our station on the Bessemer Superhighway," Brennan says, "and they would tell us that our transmitter -- we had a 50-kilowatt transmitter, and it was pretty close to their homes -- and they said, 'Well, I'm picking you up on my coffeepot.'". But from the . Big Bam Show. The Righteous Brothers. We'd be there from the crack of dawn until midnight. He was lead singer of the Rockin Gibraltars, formed in 1965 by a group of students at Lee High School. But the moment was indelible for one of his daughters, Debbie Brennan Bartoletti. (It was free.) Competition was evident between the two bands, Brennan says, as the Beach Boys returned for their splashiest date at the Shower of Stars, and the Stones made theirBirmingham debut on their first U.S. tour. Cyril Brennan, who received a Top Program Director award from Billboard Magazine, is retired and lives in Pike Road. "I think the story about Buckingham Nicks is pretty interesting. "Times have changed so," said a wistful Peek, the Shower of Stars devotee. DMX. White guys playing soul music!, Most of the stuff we played was music you could easily dance to, said Dupree. The Beatles in Alabama? WVOK is now all-sports. Some of the items will go on exhibit starting Thursday at the Alabama. It gave them a voice. 'I did it my way.'". The Fab Four wouldnt play to segregated audiences, and at that time this was the case in Alabama. My personal favorite concert of all times was Billy Joel at the BJCC Concert Hall. ", From bhamboost: "Parliament Funkadelic Mothership Connection 1976. It is amazing to think that was 41 years ago. "Best concert I caught in this state was at Memorial Coliseum in Tuscaloosa in 1978 Lowell George and Little Feat. The Temptations and The Supremes, The TCB Tour, Auburn University, 1972. The Hollies. WMSP (740 AM, Sports Radio 740) is a radio station licensed to serve Montgomery, Alabama, USA. "It was quite a thing.". Can you say Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?". Their friends were quite envious when they got to hang out with the Grass Roots, Hamilton, Joe Frank and Reynolds, Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere and the Raiders, and rode around with Eric Burden and the Animals. The Rogues recorded the 45 in February of 1966, for MBM Records, a Birmingham, Alabama label that goes back to the early '60s. Famous quotes containing the words historical and/or videos: Jerry Lee Lewis. Show Hide article text (OCR) 100 feet later someone offered us tickets at face value. ", From cj75: "Grateful Dead, 5/17/77 in Tuscaloosa. We mostly had a lot of fun., They were especially known for their James Brown-style revue, with Grier wearing a cape much like the Godfather of Soul used while singing Please, Please, Please., The group got a break in 1968 when a Hollywood producer spotted them at the Big BAM show, and wanted to sign them to a recording contract. I told someone to lower the seat, and when I sat down, it went all the way to the bottom, he said, chuckling. Saturday, April 8, 1967 Garrett Coliseum, Montgomery, AL Blues Magoos Brian Hyland Lou Christie The Buckinghams The Casinos The Electric Prunes The Royal Guardsmen The Turtles I just went to the Coliseum for the music. The Big BAM Shows. Moody remembers the group mysteriously disappeared after one show and had to be retrieved to play their second gig (lead singer Peter Noone was known to enjoy a party.). As Brennan recalls it, the Beach Boys were paid $7,500 for their performance, and the Rolling Stones received $5,000. "It cost enough that we were lucky to come out with just enough and break even with it," Brennan says. If you were a teenager in south-central Alabama in the 1960s, chances are you danced the jerk, flirted with that cute boy, or made out in the corner of the high school gym to the music of a live band of local erstwhile musicians. 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.