http://www.rogers60.com/ John R. Rogers High School, Class of 1960; Spokane, Washington. These 2008 monthly columns center on music, a powerful key to recalling long-past personal experiences, feelings, and events. Any subject with a musical tie that is remotely related to our 1956-1960 John R. Rogers High School tenure is fair game for an article. Sun, 06 Apr 2008 13:25:00 GMT en-us http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200808-wn.html http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200808-wn.html Fri, 01 August 2008 23:10:00 GMT Most of the teenage music of the 1950s dealt with teen love for each other. "Young Love" would be the ideal theme song for the generation. Sadly, too many of the songs of that period dealt with teen deaths, caused by car deaths. Those can be disturbing enough to make me delete them when they are included in my CD collection. http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200808-lm.html http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200808-lm.html Fri, 01 August 2008 23:04:00 GMT The novelty song genre is about songs performed principally for comical effect. I call them silly songs. There are well-known examples of this kind of music across the lifetime of 1960 Rogers High School graduates. http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200807-wn-extra.html http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200807-wn-extra.html Mon, 30 June 2008 23:05:00 GMT Everyone who listens to music has music memories. Those who ever played or sang songs has very special personal memories more than the songs alone. Being a part of a group of musicians adds more dimensions for memories. Those who have been in a marching band must have memories galore--so many people, so many things to do beyond just tooting a horn or pounding a drum--being a part of a crowd on the field playing for a crowd in a stadium. http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200807-lm.html http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200807-lm.html Mon, 30 June 2008 23:05:00 GMT 1958 was our sophomore year at John R. Rogers High School. In addition, Bobby Darin recorded the song, Mack the Knife. It's lyrics were about an anti-hero ... and murder. http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200807-wn.html http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200807-wn.html Mon, 30 June 2008 23:05:00 GMT Oh, the memories that a good old Oldie of our high school years can bring to mind. The premier music memory catalyst has to be universally agreed to be "Sleep Walk", by Santo and Johnny, not only the best tune of 1959 but undoubtedly in the top ten of our high school years of 1956-60. http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200806-wn.html http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200806-wn.html Sat, 31 May 2008 23:35:00 GMT "They say for every boy and girl there's just one love in this whole world," and it would take the right singer of such a song to reach the hearts of those who have emotional feelings of "young love." Such was the case with the very popular 1956 song, "Young Love." http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200806-wn.html http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200806-wn.html Sat, 31 May 2008 23:35:00 GMT For me, the music culture of the fifties began with the program, Your Hit Parade, on radio and TV. After switching from CBS to NBC, it was the first TV program to display the NBC peacock. After rock thundered onto the scene. Your Hit Parade quietly slipped away in 1959. http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200805-wn.html http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200805-wn.html Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:35:00 GMT Not many songs become popular about alcohol, but "Tequila" by The Champs, lives on, year after year. I have to admit it's a catchy tune, nice beat, a bit different than the music of its era, but I have a deep irritation every time I hear it. It was adopted by the University of Washington Husky Marching Band when it came out, and they still play it. http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200805-lm.html http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200805-lm.html Wed, 30 Apr 2008 12:35:00 GMT In retrospect, John R. Rogers, in the latter half of the fifties, seems remarkably free of tragedy. Only now are our class of '60 classmates increasingly moving out of this world. I'm beginning to think the earlier lack of tragedgy is an anomaly, because the teen death issue was certainly covered by our music. http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200804-wn.html http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200804-wn.html Sun, 06 Apr 2008 21:50:00 GMT Er, ah, make that last word of the heading "Fi'-yah". That's the way Jerry Lee Lewis pronounced it in the song that most-made him famous. http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200804-lm.html http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200804-lm.html Sun, 06 Apr 2008 21:25:00 GMT I previously mentioned late 50's musical genres other-than-rock-and-roll in these pages. It sounded as if I don't like rock 'n roll.. Not true. I actually LIKE rock 'n roll, but am surprised how much other stuff flooded KNEW while we were at Rogers in 1956 through 1960. I'm going go down this path a bit farther this month. http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200803-wn.html http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200803-wn.html Sat, 01 Mar 2008 20:26:00 GMT Elvis may have been Number One on the hit parade music charts, but another pop singer of our times, one we could identify with, unlike Presley, was Ricky Nelson. http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200803-lm.html http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200803-lm.html Sat, 01 Mar 2008 20:25:00 GMT Granted, the fifties gave birth to rock 'n roll just as we entered Rogers, but a moment's reflection yields examples of many other kinds of popular music during the years 1956 through 1960. Music of the late Fifties encompassed more than rock. http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200802-wn.html http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200802-wn.html Fri, 01 Feb 2008 19:26:00 GMT No one musically reflects our high school years more than Elvis "the Pelvis", as he was known then. Bill Haley somewhat shocked the adult public, not himself as a person, but his introduction of rock and roll. http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200802-lm.html http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200802-lm.html Fri, 01 Feb 2008 19:25:00 GMT I was only 14-ish, but I previously noticed fads come and go. I wondered when the next big music craze would replace rock-and-roll. I watched for it. Almost immediately, still in 1956, The Banana Boat Song hit KNEW. http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200801-wn.html http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200801-wn.html Sun, 06 Jan 2008 18:26:00 GMT He came into our lives and the Teen Years of the 1950s like a comet - Bill Haley. Not exactly a teen idol, but who among us had idols -- musically--until Bill came along. http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200801-lm.html http://rogers60.com/essays/musicmems/MusicMems-200801-lm.html Sun, 06 Jan 2008 18:11:00 GMT In 1958, Spokane's radio station KNEW was located at 790 AM on the dial and at Moran Prairie on the Earth. It was populated by a crazy set of denizens - disk jockeys that each assumed a contrived personality.