Baltimore Radio Stn Charts: 1964

**jsmith** · 08-17-2010, 04:07 AM

Baltimore had a few good soul stns back in the 60's.
Here's a few charts from one of them: .... WEBB ...
Attachment 362

**jsmith** · 08-17-2010, 04:09 AM

....... and a few more ........
Attachment 363

**jsmith** · 08-17-2010, 04:11 AM

.... lots of the big national hits doing well in Baltimore .....
but also a few 45's that must have just been big local regional hits / plays.

**jsmith** · 08-17-2010, 04:18 AM

Donnie Elbert, Hoagy Lands & Jay Wiggins all doing well in Baltimore back then !!!

**jsmith** · 08-17-2010, 06:21 AM

What was "Golly Gee" by Sunny & the Sunglows doing in the chart in January & February ??
Apart from the fact that this group were from Texas & this song didn't chart nationally for them ....
....... by early 1964 the 45 was over 2 years old !!!

**jsmith** · 08-17-2010, 06:34 AM

... a chart from July 64 ........
Attachment 364

**mikey** · 08-17-2010, 07:23 AM

Great stuff jsmith.

**randy_russi** · 08-17-2010, 11:03 AM

Wow! Thanks so much for posting these as I love to read old radio surveys from
the '60s. Castles in the Sand by Stevie Wonder was a BIG hit on this station.
Look how many weeks it held #1, but nationally the record did nothing.
Supremes were big with Standing at the Crossroads of Love, which was a B
side.
Great surveys! Thanks for sharing!

**jsmith** · 08-17-2010, 12:35 PM

.....WWIN was another local radio stn .........
here's one of their DJ's charts from Feb 1964
Attachment 367

**jsmith** · 08-17-2010, 12:51 PM

LA based James [[Jimmy) Conwell was doing well with "I Know I'm Sure" in Baltimore.
This was on the 4J's label out of California & featured "The Trouble With Girls" on the other side of the 45.
No idea why this ballad should be getting so much air-play on the east coast at that time.
Attachment 368

**jsmith** · 08-18-2010, 01:48 AM

A few more WEBB charts from the same year ....
Attachment 371

**jsmith** · 08-20-2010, 05:02 AM

A few years down the line; Dec 1968 .........
& not totally a radio stn play chart ........
Attachment 397

**jsmith** · 08-29-2010, 02:26 PM

info on some other Baltimore soul radio stns in the 1960's ..........
Local DJ Fat Daddy had started out on WSID but by 1966 had moved over to WWIN .......

Attachment 802
Attachment 803

**jsmith** · 08-29-2010, 02:30 PM

A Fat Daddy WSID radio chart ............
Attachment 804
Who was Connie Christmas ??

**jsmith** · 08-29-2010, 03:04 PM

Back to WEBB ..........
Attachment 805

In November 1967 James Brown purchased 1430 WGYW-AM in Knoxville, TN. He changed the call letters to WJBE to reflect his initials. It was the start to "Brown Family Broadcasting." In January of 1968 he changed the format of WJBE to Rhythm & Blues. Its new brand name was "Raw Soul." He bought more stations 1480 WRDW-AM in Augusta, GA .......... and 1360 WEBB-AM in BALTIMORE, MD. He was a big fan of radio.
WEBB-AM also went the R&B route with DJs like Kitty Holdman Broady, Robert Dell Pinkney, and Rockin' Robin.
Robin had been at WEBB in the 50s and left for WWIN-AM in 1967. He came back for the godfather of soul. It was after all now the first black-owned radio station in Baltimore.

**jsmith** · 08-29-2010, 03:34 PM

The world of the Baltimore DJ and 'Motown' collide in 1967 ....
Attachment 806

**jsmith** · 08-29-2010, 03:54 PM

The show that fetched the Contours into town ...
... ... and led to the couple's marital troubles.....
Attachment 807

**mark speck** · 08-29-2010, 04:25 PM

Neat stuff there, John!!

Best,

Mark

**theboyfromxtown** · 08-30-2010, 05:14 AM

John

So come on Mr Detective..which Contour was it....LOLOL

I can't see the Velvelettes yet....so carry on.

**jsmith** · 08-31-2010, 12:47 PM

It wasn't the big revue show at the Civic Centre that the Contours were on that got their lead singer [[lets for arguments sake refer to him as Dennis) mixed up in marital complications.
The group were back in Baltimore a couple of weeks later to play a week's engagement at the Blackjack Club. Here they were backed up by the house band; the Hitchhickers. One night after the show, some people were invited back to the Lord Baltimore Hotel, where the group were staying. Events kicked off from there.
So John, do I get my full 'Law & Order' badge or not ??

**jsmith** · 08-31-2010, 12:53 PM

An ad for WEBB radio a few months before James Brown bought the stn ........
Attachment 876
Its good to see that they were featuring his tracks even before he bought the station.
I approve of some of the other playlistings; Shades of Blue, 4 Tops, Walter Jackson, Barbara Mason & more ...
.... though I can't say I understand why the stn would be playing stuff by the Mamas & Papas, Paul Revere & Petula Clark !!!!!!!

**robb_k** · 08-31-2010, 12:59 PM

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"I Know I'm Sure I'm In Love" by James Conwell is a great song. I'm surprised it wasn't a national hit. Conwell or 4J could have had some connection with a Baltimore DJ who pushed it. People had relations all over USA. Also, the music business was a small business. A lot of people in it knew people in it in many of the major cities. DJs moved to a lot of new cities to get a good gig with a radio station. They still kept their contacts with colleagues back home.

**ltlftc** · 08-31-2010, 10:54 PM

"Here's a Heart" by the Diplomats; what a great record. I don't remember ever hearing it in Michigan at the time it was so high on the charts in Baltimore and I had my ear glued to CKLW by 8 years old. That's an amazing performance.

**the_classic_master** · 09-01-2010, 01:44 AM

amazing! keep up the great work, jsmith!

**jsmith** · 09-02-2010, 10:42 AM

....... not only was there good stuff on the radio ........
by 1969 there were also shows worth watching on TV ....
Attachment 919

**jsmith** · 09-02-2010, 03:47 PM

.... A review of the above TV show ............
Attachment 923

**jsmith** · 09-03-2010, 01:43 AM

Two Baltimore Charts from July 1969 ...........
Attachment 929

**jsmith** · 09-03-2010, 03:18 AM

That local TV show, BALTIMORE BREAKOUT, was still running in mid November 1969 [[though it had moved to Fridays at 7.30pm).
So it went out once a week [[?) for at least 4 months. Lots of different local acts must have been featured on the show.
Here's who was on one of the editions ....
Attachment 930

**jsmith** · 09-04-2010, 02:47 AM

Two linked items from a Baltimore newspaper .....
Attachment 937
Attachment 938
Not suprisingly, as they were a local group,
their version of "Message To A Blackman" did
really well on the local charts.
I didn't realise they had been quite a popular
act in the city as early as 1967.

ALSO, the Blackjack Club [[where the Contours had played a week long engagement
a while earlier) gets a mention [[it was where their lead singer got involved in a situation).

**jsmith** · 09-04-2010, 12:27 PM

A national TV show shown in many cities ....
....... Baltimore being one of them ........
Attachment 943
How long did the show run ????
King Curtis was its musical director ....... but ...
.... he would be murdered around 18 months later.

**jsmith** · 09-07-2010, 02:19 PM

A 1970 Baltimore Chart .........
Attachment 1145

**jsmith** · 09-08-2010, 02:55 AM

JB was at the helm by the time this ad was placed ....
Attachment 1154

**jsmith** · 09-10-2010, 04:36 AM

As the 70's dawned, local indie label 45's were squeezed out of local charts ....
.. but some records still did better in one city than others .....
... I guess they got more radio plays in those places ..........
here Freddy Robinson [[he had played behind Jerry Butler) was in the Top 20,
.... a slot his 45 didn't reach in the national Billboard soul charts .....
Attachment 1177
Motown releases were still doing very well in Baltimore !!