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Narrator/Voice Actor
OK, only 10 more presents to wrap. You're almost at the finish line. But first.
Harry Jacobs
Ah, there.
Narrator/Voice Actor
The last one. Enjoy a Coca Cola for a pause that refreshes.
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Buzz Knight
I'm Buzz Knight and this is the Taking a Walk Podcast. And this is another edition of this Week in Music History for the week of December 29th into January 4th. So Master of music mayhem, Harry Jacobs. This is officially part 2025, part 2026, isn't it?
Harry Jacobs
Yeah, it's dual. Dual year. Absolutely it is.
Buzz Knight
Boy, that is really going to make my head fly off. But I think we could make a run of it.
Harry Jacobs
No, I'll make it easy. We're going to start with a. With a bang. It's about Elvis. This is kind of interesting. He made history on. On the state with 10 simultaneous top 100 songs in 1956. I mean, here's just a few of them. Heartbreak Hotel, Hound Dog, don't be Cruel, and Love me Tender were part of that group of songs. Imagine that, having 10 simultaneous songs in the top 100. I don't think anyone's ever done it since.
Buzz Knight
A little Beatlesque.
Harry Jacobs
Yeah, a little Beatles. But I don't. I didn't see the Beatles do that. The Beatles. I mean, the Beatles did some great things. You know, they had multiple years in a row on Christmas with number one songs and all that. But I, you know, I don't think that anyone has beaten that record of 10 inside the top 100.
Buzz Knight
Listen, I need to throwing shade at Elvis. Okay?
Harry Jacobs
You know, while you're. While you're doing this, I'm literally going to sponsor. While you're running your mouth, you know, I'm just going to go to Claude AI, a sponsor of the show. Claude AI. Did anyone have 10 songs simultaneously in the Hot 100 besides Elvis?
Buzz Knight
I'm gonna guess Pablo Cruz is gonna pop up.
Harry Jacobs
What you gonna do when she says goodbye? How's that for a little unaided recall?
Buzz Knight
That's not bad.
Harry Jacobs
Oh, wow. I was wrong. I should have thought about this. Taylor Swift.
Buzz Knight
Oh, swifty.
Harry Jacobs
Top ten. The entire top ten of the Hot 100 on three separate. Okay. Oh, I'm a moron. Oh, boy. This is a demerit. Drake occupied nine of the top 10 positions in 2021, and the Beatles locked down the entire top five only in 1964. So Elvis's achievement was matched and exceeded. And streaming obviously changes the way things work. But let's not take anything away from the king. 1956, 10 songs in the top 100. So not bad.
Buzz Knight
I would never take anything from. Away from who I affectionately call the master of mutton chops.
Harry Jacobs
Yeah, that's. That's. That's him.
Buzz Knight
You're the master of music mayhem. He was the master of mutton chops in 2021.
Harry Jacobs
Adele's album 21 became the fourth biggest seller in the United Kingdom of all Time. This gave her the biggest selling album of all time by a solo artist in the United kingdom. And a 23 week run is the longest by any female solo artist in the US. It was number one for like 25 or 24 weeks. Longest by, by anyone for that period from like 1985, it looks like, to 2021. So a nice run for that Adele album. 21. In 1966, Paul McCartney began working on Penny Lane. He. He said publicly, has said publicly on a number of occasions that he got the inspiration from Pet Sounds. They were all. Everyone was watching what everyone else was doing. I mean, I'm sure that that's always the way it is, but in particular this was time for music with Phil Spector and the Beatles and the Beach Boys all kind of playing with the wall of sound and having a lot going on in their music. So.
Buzz Knight
And none of them admitted then really that there was this competitiveness going on. At least they were not really that, you know, boisterous about admitting it. But then, as we would learn later, there was always intense competitiveness going on.
Harry Jacobs
Yeah, the lyrics had nothing to do with the Beach Boys. It actually is a reference to their origins as young men in Liverpool and Penny Lane in Liverpool. So 1968. We've talked about this, talked about it. Last week, Led Zeppelin played at the Civic Auditorium in Portland. They opened on that tour for Vanilla Fudge. Just an odd pairing musically.
Buzz Knight
They loved odd pairings back then.
Harry Jacobs
Yeah, something about that certainly did. Interesting day. In 1967, Dave Mason quit Traffic, the, the band, really. I mean, they were formed in 66 or 67, so he wasn't with them for a long time. He actually wrote Feeling All Right, which of course, you know, later became, really became a hit with, with Joe Cocker's version of it. Dave Mason was 19 at that time.
Buzz Knight
Wow.
Harry Jacobs
So another young guy, you know, this was, you know, think about it. Steve Winwood was 16 with, with give Me Some Lovin', you know, at that time with Spencer Davis and, you know, a good time for, for kids. Dave would later go on to play acoustic guitar on all along the Watchtower, which makes sense to me now because it was a song that he played live often. His version of it I've. I've seen.
Buzz Knight
Yeah. And actually it was on his, his White album, whatever that one was called too. He did a version of it.
Harry Jacobs
Yeah, great, great, great version.
Buzz Knight
But he played with. Wait, he, he played session wise with Hendrix. Is that what you did?
Harry Jacobs
He did.
Buzz Knight
Wow. Okay.
Harry Jacobs
And then he also played on All Things Must Pass. And he played on Beggar's Banquet with the Stones as well. So he, you know, he participated in a number of projects. Big, big projects. Really, at the time. Yeah.
Buzz Knight
Great session work. Yeah.
Harry Jacobs
He has struggled in recent years with health issues. He's actually ended up retiring in June of this past year related to, you know, heart issues that he was having, you know, consistently. And there was an infection, really, that caused him to say, you know what? I just can't. Can't do it anymore. So.
Buzz Knight
Wrote a book, I think, too.
Harry Jacobs
Yep, you're correct, sir. In 1962, Bob Dylan played the Troubadour during his first trip to London. For Bob.
Buzz Knight
He used to love doing those press conferences where he was just holding back in his own way, not really giving anything, but actually having a lot of fun. Jousting with the reporters was. Those were pretty cool to look at.
Harry Jacobs
He enjoyed being kind of elusive, being, you know, a little snotty. Right.
Buzz Knight
I would say maybe he does still enjoy that.
Harry Jacobs
Yeah. Yeah, you're probably right about that. On December 30, Bo Diddley recorded his first single, Bo Diddley. It was the B side, or actually the B side was I'm A Man. So two really big songs at once. Legendary version of that song with Bose, I'm a Man and Bo Diddley, which is, you know, famous. The Bo Diddley beat. Right. He was born Ellis O.A. bates and then he changed it to Ellis McDaniel, and then finally Bo Diddley.
Buzz Knight
I love it. I love those names.
Harry Jacobs
Yeah. And that signature guitar of his was a cigar box. That rectangular looking guitar that he played as a cigar box, as a cigar smoker, I always identify that very easily and always look good in a sharp suit and those dark sunglasses. Bo Diddley, 1955, December 30th for Bo Diddley and I'm a Man. In 2009, Neil Young was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. That's their highest or second highest civilian honor that you can get. So. Interesting award for Neil.
Buzz Knight
Have you seen the. The Neil Young thing where he's playing in a phone booth and he's doing Gordon Lightfoot's. If you could read my mind.
Harry Jacobs
Oh, no.
Buzz Knight
Yeah, you got to check that out. It's pretty great version. It's pretty. It's bizarre in its own way, but it's a pretty great version. Definitely check that out.
Harry Jacobs
Phone booth. Okay, I'll do that. I. Yeah, I love that song by Gordon Lightfoot. So I just saw something with him on YouTube driving through, you know, Toronto or St. Catharines or somewhere, wherever he, he's from, you know, talking about his, his career and you know, while he's driving his pickup truck.
Buzz Knight
Yep.
Harry Jacobs
So at any rate, Ivan Reitman, Mario Lemieux, the great hockey player, and Burton Cummings also received that award. The Officer of the Order in Canada as well.
Buzz Knight
I think you're deserving of the Officer of Mayhem award.
Harry Jacobs
Yeah, I'll take it, I will take it. Any awards, any trophies? 1999, George Harrison and his wife Olivia, you probably remember this, they were attacked in their home by some knife wielding lunatic. Police say that it was not just a robbery or a home invasion. This was a targeted attack on George Harrison in Hawaii.
Buzz Knight
Right?
Harry Jacobs
Correct. Yeah, correct. I believe at the time he was also battling lung cancer. I don't know that we knew anything about that at the time. But he ended up losing that battle in 2021 to, to Lung cancer. So an awful thing. You know, I think we're all kind of scratching our heads after what happened to John and thinking, oh, this is just, it's bad.
Buzz Knight
Yep.
Harry Jacobs
The Soviet Union, USSR dissolved in 1991. On this date, kind of a big and important date in 70. We can't get through one of these weeks without something Beatles. And this isn't really a great one. In 1970, Paul ended up filing suit against the other three boys because they had failed to dissolve their agreement. He moved to dissolve the ban the partnership. He indicated in the lawsuit that it was because they weren't touring, they weren't doing anything anymore. And of course John, in I think August of 69, had basically started telling people that he was done. They didn't formally break up according to the legal process until 1975. Late 74 or early 75 is when they were actually dissolved as a band.
Buzz Knight
Crazy to think about that.
Harry Jacobs
Yeah, yeah, but it's one of those, you know, it was a business deal and McCartney was pissed that they went and got a business manager. After they were done touring, the other three guys went and hired a guy by the name of Alan Klein. McCartney wasn't included on in that process and that set him off and he filed suit and you know, played out and played out in court like so many of these things do.
Buzz Knight
Let the lawyers get at it, right?
Harry Jacobs
Absolutely. December 31st, New Year's Eve. Jimi Hendrix formed Band of gypsies in 69 for a new Year's Eve show. He disbanded the Jimi Hendrix Experience in June. So six months later he, you know, got together with a group and, and, and played a New Year's Eve show. With Band of Gypsies in 1966, the Monkees began a seven week run at the top of the charts with I'm a Believer. This week's quiz, Buzz. For all the marbles. Who wrote which?
Buzz Knight
Which I've lost.
Harry Jacobs
Yeah, I said that deliberately, hoping you would take the bait. For all the marbles. Buzz. Who wrote I'm a Believer? I'd like to see your hands while you're doing this. I want to make sure you're not on your phone. Ten fingers. I want to make sure that you're not on Claude. AI.
Buzz Knight
I am not here are my hands.
Harry Jacobs
Yes.
Buzz Knight
I'm gonna say Stephen Stills.
Harry Jacobs
No, sir. Neil Young. Neil diamond, rather.
Buzz Knight
Neil Diamond.
Harry Jacobs
Neil Diamond. His song I'm a Believer.
Buzz Knight
All right, what do I win? What didn't I win?
Harry Jacobs
No, you won nothing. You got a demerit.
Buzz Knight
Okay.
Harry Jacobs
On the list of demerits. Yeah.
Buzz Knight
Add to it. Yeah, Join the club.
Harry Jacobs
Exactly. A few band premieres happened on New Year's Eve over the years. In 61, the Beach Boys made their live debut. They played at the Long Beach Civic Auditorium in Long Beach. The Kinks in 63 made their debut at the Lotus House restaurant in London. And in 1973, with Bon Scott AC DC made their debut appearing at the Checkers Bar in Sydney, Australia.
Buzz Knight
She's the Look. Go back to that. The Lotus. What? The Lotus what?
Harry Jacobs
It's called the Lotus House Restaurant.
Buzz Knight
Sounds like a. A Chinese joint.
Harry Jacobs
Yeah. I was going to say there might be karaoke on other. There was no karaoke back then, but, you know, might be some egg rolls. And in karaoke under. Under, you know, ordinary circumstances there, I.
Buzz Knight
Could see the Davies brothers throwing egg rolls at each other.
Harry Jacobs
God, those guys, they were like the Hatfields and McCoys. Yep, they were. So anyway, Kinks, Beach Boys and ACDC on this date all made their debuts in 1984. Rick Allen got into that car wreck that caused him to lose his arm. He lost his left arm. And he continued, I think, much to all of our surprise, to continue to play drums. They built him a rig and he basically used his feet to do what his left arm couldn't do.
Buzz Knight
It's pretty incredible really, when you think about it. And he's been such a advocate of, you know, trying to help wounded warriors. The Raven Drum foundation that he and his wife, Lauren Monroe have formed. So he continues to, from that tragedy there, you know, pay it forward.
Harry Jacobs
He is always smiling, right. He's a guy that has embraced, you know, what happened to him. In 2002, I did a Little bit of work with my friend Billy Bush, where I did some camera work for Access Hollywood and I had access to Def Leppard and I spent a lot of time with Rick Allen. I actually got to sit at his kit and I got to film him play and I got to watch his feet, you know, work and play the drums and, and, and sitting at his kit was really kind of cool.
Buzz Knight
That's cool.
Harry Jacobs
And he encouraged me to, you know, to just play. Try it. This is what I'm, you know, this is what I'm doing. Very friendly and, you know, he's done a lot. Like you said, he's done a lot of work, you know, with, with vets and, and supports the community of amputees.
Buzz Knight
Yep. Right.
Harry Jacobs
In 1996, Paul McCartney became Sir Paul McCartney. He found himself on that. The list, the, the Queen's New Year's Honor List. And now he is Sir Paul McCartney for the last 30 years. Pretty good, Pretty monumental event for Good.
Buzz Knight
Drink, if you could get it.
Harry Jacobs
Yeah. And this one, we're going to kind of COVID two things here. The first is, of course, it's New Year's Eve and you can't think about New Year's without thinking about Dick Clark. The tradition of the ball drop happened in 1907. But, you know, Dick Clark, really, you know, we grew up watching him.
Buzz Knight
Right.
Harry Jacobs
I certainly, you know, in the 70s, I watched. It was a big deal for me to, you know, be able to stay up till midnight and watch him at Times Square.
Buzz Knight
And it is really cool to look at in general of American bandstand things on YouTube. It's, it's a, it's such, it's such a funny looking format when you watch it these days, you see, you know, you'll see a great performance from, you know, a superstar. And then for the balance of the show, you see, you know, the. I don't know if they were actors or some actors and some real people, but you see them up there doing dancing. Dancing. It's a really funny format, but there's some great, you know, there's performances there. Oh, my God. Yeah.
Harry Jacobs
That show ran for 32 years. It went from 1957 to 1989. You hosted that show?
Buzz Knight
Yep.
Harry Jacobs
This was probably one of the most influential music shows on television.
Buzz Knight
And I do give him on one hand a lot of credit for, you know, after his stroke, how he would continue to host on one hand. But on the other hand, it was sad, too. It was a little. It became very hard to watch, you know.
Harry Jacobs
Yeah. The last year or Two that he did, it was really like, oh, I don't know that I can watch this.
Buzz Knight
Right, right.
Harry Jacobs
And. And, you know, when you think about it, he was, you know, I don't know what the actual nickname was, but he was like, you know, America's teenager. Right. He just. He was a guy that just didn't, you know, he was, you know, Rob Lowe or Bob Costas. You know what I mean? That. With that young kind of look of his. And he maintained it. He literally maintained it until he didn't. Right. Until. Until the end, where it just. It looked rough.
Buzz Knight
He was a good businessman, I'll tell you that.
Harry Jacobs
He was a cutthroat guy. And I never met him, but the talk about him was that he was really a cutthroat guy. He was a media mogul on his own. I think he's responsible in a lot of ways for Ryan Seacrest success. Oh, yeah, he backed. Ryan created a whole bunch of different game shows and music specials. He shaped the delivery system for how we got music. With Bandstand, anybody that was. Anyone went through that show during that period of time, especially, you know, through the middle of the 80s or the early 80s at a minimum, you know, from 57, to call it 57 to 80, 85, probably anyone that was. Anyone went on American Bandstand.
Buzz Knight
Was the cutthroat aspect of it, though, partially what we see late night television. How it became cutthroat, where, you know, fill in the blank, host needed to have the big guest and no one else could have Adam. So was it over guests on the show? The cutthroat aspect? I'm not really sure. Or was it just in contract negotiations with people or all the above?
Harry Jacobs
I think probably a little bit of all of the above. I think there was this side to Dick Clark that we never saw. You know, we're used to seeing friendly, affable Dick Clark, but when you got him at his desk or you were in his office, allegedly, he was. He was tough. He was no bs. He knew what he had. He knew the power of his brand, and he. He used it. At any rate, he's. He. He did host the New Year's Rock and Eve show starting in 1972. I'm not sure what year he. He did his last one, but, you know, the last couple were. Were rough. January 1st, we go to. We're now in talking, you know, 2026. We're now in the next year.
Buzz Knight
Where's Andy Cohen?
Harry Jacobs
Oh, sorry, Andy and Anderson. Andy and Anderson. The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour. Topped the US charts in 68, in 64, top of the Pops premiered. That was really the kind of. The British version, the United Kingdom version of Bandstand. Right. Several years after Bandstand. Seven, I think seven years after Bandstand is when Top of the Pops premiered. And in the United Kingdom, anyone that was. Anyone was on that show. Stones, Bowie, Kinks, you know, even, you know, running to, you know, into the 80s or 90s. Nirvana. Right. A lot of people. That show ran until 2006. That was a. That was a big deal over there. And I think, you know, they really. They kind of copied what the great Dick Clark did with. With Bandstand for. For good reason. 1953, Hank Williams passed away. He was only 29. I didn't realize how young you realize that. He's 29.
Buzz Knight
Hard living.
Harry Jacobs
Yeah. Yeah. A bunch of great songs. Hey, good looking. One of his songs, you're Cheating Heart, I'm so Lonesome I Could Cry. You know, just all the, you know, the country cliches.
Buzz Knight
Yep.
Harry Jacobs
Right. They say heart failure, so I'm sure it just. It stopped.
Buzz Knight
Yep.
Harry Jacobs
1989, a new grunge band from Seattle signed a one year deal. They recorded their first album, which was called Bleach for Some of the Marbles. Who is that band?
Buzz Knight
Well, I mean, I would say it's Nirvana, wouldn't I?
Harry Jacobs
That's correct. Nirvana's first album was Bleach. It was Nirvana.
Buzz Knight
I was starting to panic for a second. Breaking into a cold sweat.
Harry Jacobs
You got some of the quoting James Brown here. You got some of the Marbles back. Buzz. Okay, 1977, the Clash opened the Roxy Club in London. They headline the opening night there. And this would really kick off what was their first ever punk review in the United Kingdom. I never. We've talked about this. I never really got into the Clash. You were, you know, a Clash fan, right?
Buzz Knight
Yeah. Oh, yeah, I liked him. Yeah.
Harry Jacobs
I appreciate him. I just never, you know, I didn't buy the. I didn't have the albums. I mean, I think I'm. You know, maybe because I was around the radio stations, I would get them, but I don't think at the time there was anything I would. I would buy.
Buzz Knight
I like that Lost in the Supermarket. That was that deep, deep track.
Harry Jacobs
I don't know from that song.
Buzz Knight
Lost classic or deep track or whatever we'll call it.
Harry Jacobs
In 1967, the Doors made their TV debut on a show called Shebang. Do you know from Shebang?
Buzz Knight
I don't know much from Shebang.
Harry Jacobs
They lip synced break on through. Oh, shocking that they would.
Buzz Knight
Jeez.
Harry Jacobs
Yeah, they. They did. I'm sure that like the Stones and. And who, they probably push back on the concept of lip syncing. Right. Let us play it. Johnny Cash in 1959, played a free concert at San Quentin. It was a legendary event. He played with Merle Haggard at that event. And then 10 years later, he went back for another huge concert and they made an album of. Of that show. Johnny Cash Live at San Quentin. That was one of the. One of the death row prisons.
Buzz Knight
Yeah, for sure.
Harry Jacobs
I went by there not. Not long ago, I think two or three years ago. And as I was driving by, I was with my mom who lives up there, and I said, oh, there's San Quentin. You know, I wanted to pull over and, you know, and she said, harry.
Buzz Knight
Don'T say that word.
Harry Jacobs
Yeah, exactly.
Buzz Knight
And boy, if you haven't seen Tricky Dick and the man in Black documentary, totally unbelievable.
Harry Jacobs
Yeah, I know. You know what? That's. And, and it's funny, I do have a list in my notes on my phone that's. That's been on there for quite some time. It's probably time I checked that. Check the box off on. On that one.
Buzz Knight
That's the story recommended that to me was Jelly Roll.
Harry Jacobs
Oh, no kidding.
Buzz Knight
Yeah.
Harry Jacobs
Oh, he just got pardoned. I saw. As we see here to record this, where we're a little bit ahead of the game as we record it. But just this, this week, he was pardoned. A moving event for. For him.
Buzz Knight
He.
Harry Jacobs
He was a guest on an early guest on taking out early for him on Taking a Walk. He was great.
Buzz Knight
Yeah, he's always welcome back. But for some reason, I don't think he'll be back.
Harry Jacobs
Oh, yeah, you know, he's. He's probably reached that point.
Mandy Woodruff Santos
He's.
Buzz Knight
So he's. Yeah, he can't go anywhere and do.
Harry Jacobs
He's.
Buzz Knight
He's. His life has changed, you know.
Harry Jacobs
What was your takeaway or. Or takeaways from your time with him? I. I remember listening to that and I didn't know anything about him. And I remember you talking about him prior to the interview, kind of encouraging me to go and listen and pay attention, be aware of this guy. And then I heard it and started to listen to the music. I was just blown away.
Buzz Knight
Well, I mean, then he was on the rise and he certainly, you know, was generous with time. I would record it virtually and then I think see him in person at an event and talk to him like a week or two after that. So he's very, very easy to talk to. Very, like I said, generous with the time. I was sort of looking at it like a, like a stock pick. And I was like, this guy, I don't know. There's something going to be happening there. So I've been wrong about those sort of things with artists many times, but I was right with that one. So.
Harry Jacobs
And there's no telling, you know, what happens with these guys that we see that are talented, that, that you'll get on as a, as a guest, whether they'll hit it or not. You know, it's the, the great question, you know, everyone has, do we have what it takes?
Buzz Knight
Yeah, you just don't know. You know, where is the luck? You know, where does the airplay go into it? And what tour do they get on that further helps them break out? It's. There's no rhyme or reason, but it's kind of fun to take a shot and pick somebody.
Harry Jacobs
You know, the interview is great, especially to Go back now for those of you that are listening and are fans of Jelly Roll, you know, go back, you know, wherever you listen to podcasts and look for the Jelly Roll interview that Buzz did. It's. He's so friendly, he's so affable. He's so willing to just, to just talk. He was great with you and he was on music.
Buzz Knight
Save Me too with Lynn.
Harry Jacobs
On January 2nd, the Beatles convened for their 12th, their final album to start recording Let It Be. And it was later documented, there's, you know, video we had seen over the years, but it was in Get Back, which I believe was on Hulu, was where they showed a majority of those sessions.
Buzz Knight
Yep.
Harry Jacobs
And it's really neat to watch if you're a Beatles fan. 1969, a shipment of John and Yoko's album Two Virgins was seized in New Jersey. You know why it was seized?
Buzz Knight
The nudity there.
Harry Jacobs
That's correct. Pornographic. Full, Full. Full on frontal nudity that none of us needed to see and none of us can unsee.
Buzz Knight
It was. It was something, I'll tell you that.
Harry Jacobs
Yeah, yeah. It was not. It was not good. In 1979, Sid Vicious went on trial, accused of killing his girlfriend, Nancy. We hear about Sid and Nancy.
Buzz Knight
Yeah. Oh, yeah.
Harry Jacobs
He ended up getting out on bail and then a month later, he suffered an overdose. He never stood trial for Nancy's death.
Buzz Knight
Wow.
Harry Jacobs
Yeah. Crazy story for poor Sid. From The Sex Pistols. 1994. I've Got Kind of a brush with this. We both have a brush with this. The Meatloaf album Bat out of Hell. Two back into hell. Came out, began a four week run in the United Kingdom. And he would go on to tour for a year and a half or something after that. When I started to work for you at wzlx, Meat Loaf came and visited us and spent some time with Chuck Nolan. One afternoon, one of the jobs I enjoyed about my job was that when, when someone came to town and was coming to the radio station, I get to take the elevator down and, and go meet them, meet them at their car, meet them wherever they were coming from. And I got to spend a few minutes with Meatloaf and bring them up to Chuck.
Buzz Knight
He was a good dude. We played softball together back in the i95 Connecticut radio station days. And pretty good softball player. And he was, he was a nice, nice guy. Okay. For all the marbles. Master of music mayhem. What's Meatloaf' real name?
Harry Jacobs
Oh, Mark. Really? Come on. What do I look like? I look like a Marvin to you?
Buzz Knight
You do.
Harry Jacobs
Marvin a day.
Buzz Knight
Okay, good.
Sophie Cunningham
All right.
Buzz Knight
Yeah.
Harry Jacobs
Oh, yeah. Who are you talking to with these? Buzz? Come on, man.
Buzz Knight
Come on, man.
Harry Jacobs
What I'll never forget about Meatloaf is, is when he was getting ready for the Chuck Nolan interview, Chuck played. I think Chuck played. I'd do anything for love, but I won't do that. And Meatloaf was sitting instead of talking to Chuck, he was sitting with his headphones on and his hands on the headphones and he was lip syncing and singing along with the song in his headphones like he hadn't heard it enough.
Buzz Knight
That's crazy.
Harry Jacobs
Yeah, I'll never forget that. But Meatloaf at ZLX with our pal Chuck Nolan got an episode with Chuck Nolan. It's out there.
Buzz Knight
Oh, yes. We had a blast at Emanuel College. It was fantastic. In front of a bunch of students.
Harry Jacobs
For those of you Boston folks and non Boston folks that want to hear someone that's just a great, entertaining, legendary Boston jock Chuck Nolan is on taking a walk. The college event was great. I know you looked forward to it. You and I talked a bunch about it. I've known Chuck for a long time myself.
Buzz Knight
It was a lot of fun. I don't think Chuck will ever speak to me again since that. But you know, I gave it my best.
Harry Jacobs
I'm sure it was fine. You know, this is an interesting thing. This has got nothing to do with music, but in 1961, JFK announced the moon mission. You know, by the time all of this happened and the moon landing happened, you know, there's still people out there, you know, the. I don't want to insult anyone but the tinfoil hat, you know, conspiracy folks that think this just. It never happened. Right. They point to all these things that, oh, the flag wasn't moving. And there are just things that don't make sense. It was done, you know, in a studio somewhere. The shadows don't look right. Whatever the argument is. Those. I think those things have all been debunked to death. You know, the government lies, the media is part of it, you know, and, and, and Right.
Buzz Knight
It's fascinating thinking how we live in that world now, but we lived in that world then. It wasn't as loud of a outcry back then, but it existed for sure.
Harry Jacobs
You know, did you have feelings when, when that happened that maybe it wasn't real? Were there. What were the rumblings? Like, never.
Buzz Knight
No, I. I totally believed it to be real and did not at all think twice about it.
Harry Jacobs
I just, you know, I hear it now and I think, boy, this is like the flat earth, folks.
Buzz Knight
Yep.
Harry Jacobs
Like, it's just, you know, I guess you're free to believe whatever we want to believe, but. Yeah, you know, where there's irrefutable proof.
Buzz Knight
Yeah. If you want to believe that, then believe that.
Harry Jacobs
You're free to believe it.
Buzz Knight
Yeah.
Harry Jacobs
January 3rd, Bob Dylan recorded Like a Rolling Stone. That's one of those songs. I would bet you could do it too. But it's one of those songs that before the band kicks in with that first drum beat when that song starts, I know exactly what it is.
Buzz Knight
Oh, yeah, right. Yeah. That is just every aspect about that song. The session players, Bob, the lyrics, it just. I still love it so much to this day.
Harry Jacobs
I watched the, the. The biopic with Timothy Chalamet with a bunch of guys that were that are, you know, 10, 15 years younger than I am, that I. I smoke some cigars with and when that's. And they're not Dylan songs, but they all wanted to watch the movie. And when that song came on at the beginning of the movie, everyone was tapping there. You don't have to be a Dylan fan to appreciate that. That song Like a Rolling Stone, a legendary song from 1965. It's song's gonna be 61 years old this year. Crazy to think about that.
Buzz Knight
I gotta point out a Bob Dylan thing that I just discovered and that I know the audience will love it and you'll love it. So. YouTube something called Experiment N Sam E N Sam. The name of the director is Anders Heldson and so it's a Finnish director and basically Dylan plays a concert just for the director.
Harry Jacobs
Really?
Buzz Knight
Yes.
Harry Jacobs
Huh.
Buzz Knight
It is the strangest thing. Bob seems to enjoy it actually smiles at the end. Not like a rehearsal type show, like a real show. We. I haven't seen the full. You know, it's not available to my knowledge but the 14 minutes is fascinating to watch. It was done as some sort of social experiment. They pitched Bob on it through his, his manager and Bob was like, yeah, I like it. No one knows if Bob got paid a pile of money for it or not. I think there was like a Finnish gaming company that possibly was involved with this thing. But the concert took place in Philadelphia. Bob happened to have been doing a run of shows in Philadelphia and it's absolutely just bizarre, fascinating and if you're a Dylan fan, I think you'll love it.
Harry Jacobs
I'm wondering what, what year was this done? Oh, there it is. Yeah, this was just three years ago.
Buzz Knight
Yeah, I didn't know anything about it till. And the way I'll give credit to the person who, who revealed it or let the world know, he's got a really cool newsletter guy named Ray Padgett P A D G E T T had him on a long time ago. He's like a Dylan authority and he's written a couple of blogs about it. One called how the Bob Dylan Concert for One Person Came to be. And he gives some behind the scenes there with the director and everything and it's.
Harry Jacobs
It's a trip very interesting. I'm just, look, I'm going to go down this, I'm going to keep that YouTube page open and go. There's a bunch of stuff on it on, on YouTube. That's great. Yep, good, good tip on, on that buzz. 1987, Aretha Franklin was the first woman to be inducted into the Rock hall of Fame. Queen of Soul.
Buzz Knight
The best.
Harry Jacobs
Yep. This is an interesting fact. In 2024 on this date it was announced that the Beatles had the biggest selling vinyl single of 2023 with now and Then that was the, you know, song they had put out song that John recorded in 77 and then Ringo and Paul added tracks to it. They finished it off and there was something left over for vocals from George and for guitar overdubs. It was part of, I think was part of that series of albums from 1995, 96. The, that, that collection that they released. It was a leftover song that they had. So there was stuff that was there from George available to them and it was really the last New Beatles song that they said.
Buzz Knight
We've talked about those releases over the years.
Harry Jacobs
Yeah.
Buzz Knight
How we feel about it. For me, that's prime. That one was a prime indicator that, okay, I'm all for finding unearthed rarities and that type of stuff. That's different, this. Trying to bring a session together in 2024.
Harry Jacobs
Come on. It doesn't work.
Buzz Knight
Yeah.
Harry Jacobs
In 2014, Phil Everly passed away. Lung disease. He and his brother recorded some legendary tracks. You know, Brian Wilson gives them credit for being an inspiration. Wake Up Little Susie and All I have to Do Is Dream were the two big ones that I can remember. But. But they were influential on a lot of music in. In the 60s.
Buzz Knight
And Warren Zevon was part of that whole.
Harry Jacobs
That's right. That band. That's right.
Buzz Knight
He's a musical director.
Harry Jacobs
I think you want to talk about a stunningly wonderful disposition on a human being. Warren Zevon is like, you know, the antithesis of that is what he was.
Buzz Knight
He.
Harry Jacobs
He.
Buzz Knight
He did have a heart and soul when he wanted to.
Harry Jacobs
He did. And you know, the people that. Like. David Letterman is a huge Zevon fan. Right. I mean, he was just a huge Zevon fan. And we were both Z Von. I'm a Z Von fan. But I think, you know, it's a different thing that happens when you have a little bit. And neither of us had a relationship. I just. I spent the day with him when we were doing a show.
Buzz Knight
Yeah, it seemed like a year.
Harry Jacobs
I lived a lifetime in five or six hours with him. And he was very interesting at the time. This was 1995 or so. And he was juicing at that point in time, which no one really was. So we had to run out to a market and get him, you know, organic carrots and celery and beets and find a blender. There was some stuff that was like. It wasn't on the rider. And then, you know, a carton of Paul Malls. Like he and Harvey. He and Harvey Warfield are the only two people I knew that ever smoked Paul Malls. You Boston folks will know that name, but he drove me crazy all day.
Buzz Knight
And I will remember the. When he. When he went up there to play at the. At the Hat Shell. I don't know if you were part of this, but I remember the promotional team was part of this. Where they stood in bird's eye view in the front row so Warren could see, and they all were chewing on carrots to kind of. To kind of rub it back to him.
Harry Jacobs
That's very funny. I wonder if Dan Mathers was behind that. You can let him know he gets a shout out. In 1976, Hurricane by Bob Dylan peaked at number 33. A lot of discourse around the character in this song, Reuben Hurricane Carter, who was accused of killing a man. And this was a man that was wrongly accused by police. This was, you know, a racially motivated setup for Hurricane Carter and just an awful event. Bob Dylan made a, you know, a great song. As a matter of fact, I, I was listening to Hurricane before we started this today. Just a great song.
Buzz Knight
Yeah, kind of an odd song. It was kind of a hit really. So certainly a rock radio hit.
Harry Jacobs
And it was a long song. It's like an eight minute song.
Buzz Knight
Oh, yeah, right.
Harry Jacobs
Kind of, I guess, you know. Anyway, great song. I. One of my favorites. Yeah, from, from Bob Dylan about Reuben Hurricane Carter.
Buzz Knight
And he was quite a.
Harry Jacobs
Quite a fighter, you know. The line in the song is, you know, Reuben said he could take a man out with just one punch.
Buzz Knight
Yeah, right.
Harry Jacobs
Big, strong, heavy, hard hitting dude. Reuben Hurricane Carter. In 67, after getting his draft notice, Carl Wilson refused to be sworn in, declaring himself a conscientious objector member of the Beach Boys. Carl Wilson, this was big news in 67 and a couple of guys that share January 3rd as a birthday. John Paul Jones and Stephen Stills and George Martin, as a matter of fact, all January 3rd, January 4th. This is funny because it's the. This is really a slow music week. You know, when we did it last year, there wasn't really a lot going on. I went really deep for these couple of weeks around Christmas and New Year's. And there's just a wealth of information that's out there. Couple little ones here as we wrap it up. In 1967, on January 4, the Doors released their debut album. And in 2015, 33 years after the album was released, the Thriller became the first album to sell 30 million copies in the US. 15 years after. How about that?
Buzz Knight
Crazy.
Harry Jacobs
We talked about this, the number two bestselling album in the US of all time, behind Thriller. You could know this. You should know this.
Buzz Knight
Eagles Greatest Hits.
Harry Jacobs
Yeah, that's it. Eagles Greatest Hits, Volume 1.
Buzz Knight
See, I'm, I'm. I'm a little more with it than you might think.
Harry Jacobs
You know, I rarely use these facts in, in social settings.
Buzz Knight
Right.
Harry Jacobs
But I was with a group of guys last week here in Vegas and someone was talking about the Eagles and they said, well, the Eagles have the best selling album in the US of all time. It's their Greatest Hits, Volume one. I said, oh, Contraire.
Buzz Knight
And they're still playing at the Sphere?
Harry Jacobs
They are playing at the Spear still. Yeah.
Buzz Knight
Yeah.
Harry Jacobs
Crazy.
Buzz Knight
And I. I would not be surprised. I would not be surprised that once the Sphere ends, that you will still be seeing them at a venue near you.
Harry Jacobs
You know, I don't know why they wouldn't continue. The Sphere.
Buzz Knight
No, I don't think the Sphere will con. At least for the time being. Will continue.
Harry Jacobs
Oh, okay.
Buzz Knight
But I do think they will have other shows in them.
Harry Jacobs
I need to just bite the bullet and buy a ticket. Unless you can get to Irving for me or your friend Don. You guys take a walk at Walden.
Buzz Knight
That might be harder on both fronts than you think.
Harry Jacobs
Yeah. But you gotta believe they're probably making 250 a piece a night. Probably make a half a million bucks for the weekend for two nights worth of work.
Buzz Knight
It's a good life.
Harry Jacobs
It's an amazing venue. We have talked about this. That I'm down the street, I'm 12 miles from the Sphere, and I hadn't been there, and I just went and saw Zach Brown, and I was in awe of that place. I mean, I just. From the second I walked in, it was like. It was like nothing I'd ever seen. You know, when you walk in and you. You look up at the. What they have going on before, which is maybe the sky and the sun, it's just, you know, you're looking at what you think would be outside, and it goes all the way to the very. The very back of the arena behind the back seats, and it's. And then the show starts and the music's. You don't know where the music's coming from. It's coming from the screen and. And the way things are animated, it's just. Oh, and the seats vibrate. It's like a ride at Universal.
Buzz Knight
Yeah. It's unlike anything you'll. You'll ever see. Although I do think the experiences like that, various elements of it are going to be, if not already integrated into concert experiences, you know, maybe not. It's not the full package of the Sphere, but I think there's lessons learned for the business of concerts from the sphere. You know, even though I don't know if it's making money that, you know, if it's profitable. There was a period of time where it was not a profitable venue. So I don't know.
Harry Jacobs
I can tell you this, that the. The Vegas rumor mill is that there have been several general managers in and out of the Sphere since it opened. You know, I'm not Sure. What the. What the story is there. But at any rate, if you get the chance to see something at the sphere. And I probably am just going to suck it up and buy the Eagles tickets and go see that, because I love them and, you know, it's just. It's such an unbelievable. It was such an unbelievable. And I don't even. I'm not a fan of Zach Brown and I. And I just loved every second of it.
Buzz Knight
Yeah, that's cool.
Harry Jacobs
You know, one of those experiences. This is an interesting date in 1979. I don't think I followed this or I was aware of it. There's a guy named George Nikopolis who was the doctor of Elvis Presley who stood trial in 1979. He was charged with indiscriminately providing Elvis something in the neighborhood of 12,000 pills, uppers, downers and painkillers in the. In, I want to say, the 20 months leading up to his death.
Buzz Knight
It's a little eerily like Michael Jackson. Well, the Michael Jackson, but who's the other one? Matthew Perry, Right?
Harry Jacobs
Oh, yeah. With the ketamine.
Buzz Knight
Yeah, yeah. It's a little. Little eerily like that too.
Harry Jacobs
You know, Elvis was a guy who would get whatever he wanted. It was a matter if it wasn't going to be this doctor, it was going to be someone else. Someone else who's going to say no to Elvis.
Buzz Knight
That's right.
Harry Jacobs
Right. And. And no one counts on anyone dying. I mean, that was an excessive amount of pills. I mean, you know, I'm not great with. I was told there'd be no math today, but I don't know what 12,000 divided by 20 is. But Elvis ate a lot of pills, right? Not, Not. Not good. Anyway, he was. So he was acquitted, and then they charged him again in 1980. And then in 1992, he finally lost his license. It was. Think about it. Elvis died in 77. It took the doctor until 1995 to lose his license. 18 years. The guy killed him. 1970, your song entered the Billboard Hot 100. The Hollies did a version of it. I didn't know, but this Three Dog Night actually recorded a version of it. They had Elton as an opening act on their tour.
Buzz Knight
Wow.
Harry Jacobs
Elton was. Wasn't. Was the opener. And they asked for the song after they heard him play it, and he said, of course. And. And they recorded it. And then after the Trooper Door, and after that all happened, Three Dog Nights said, we're not going to release it as a single. And they waited for Elton to release it. I, I, I don't even know that Three Dog Night ever released it. I just think it's a really cool story that he gave them the song and then he ended up taking it back. They said, you know what? You do it. That's a pretty nice little gesture on their behalf. But 1970, your song was on the Billboard top 100. Last story of the day, another Elvis one real quick. This was the day that Elvis's draft notice was officially served on him. He ended up going on to serve in Germany for the 30 seconds tank battalion there. And the rest, as they say, Buzz is history. And that is this week for music history ending January 4th.
Buzz Knight
Oh, man, you should have brought your, your white suits and, or, or an Elvis impersonator with you for this, this episode, because there was a lot of Elvis there.
Harry Jacobs
I, I could have done it, and I wasn't. You know, I was an Elvis kid. Like, you know, my parents both liked them, so my first records in the house. You know, this is where we would get our education, right? Think about it. No YouTube, no Internet. Where did you figure out where your music was? You, you saw what your parents were listening to, you watched bandstand, you, the delivery system, the radio, right? There were just a handful of places at that time where we got our music. And I, my parents were Elvis fans, and I had five or six Elvis albums when I was, was eight, nine, 10 years old.
Buzz Knight
Well, you, you were lucky because my parents were fans of Lawrence Welk, so let me just leave it at that.
Harry Jacobs
I spent plenty of nights working and watching Lawrence Welch shows. My, my maternal grandfather had a relative, a cousin, that played in the Lawrence Welk band.
Buzz Knight
Oh, my God. Let's not, let's not go there.
Harry Jacobs
I can get him for taking a walk if you, you want.
Buzz Knight
Oh, I, I'm gonna close it out right here. Master of music mayhem. Thank you for this week in music history. No more Lawrence Welk ever on a look at music history for a week.
Harry Jacobs
Okay, next week, the bubble machine. We'll have it right here in the background.
Buzz Knight
Thanks for listening to Taking a Walk. We are available wherever you get your podcasts.
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Okay, only 10 more presents to wrap. You're almost at the finish line. But first. Ah, there, the last one. Enjoy a Coca Cola for a pause that refreshes.
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Pressure is coming down.
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Harry Jacobs
Watch the trailer on trainergames.com Season 2.
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Podcast: Takin' A Walk – Music History with Buzz Knight
Date: December 29, 2025
Hosts: Buzz Knight & Harry Jacobs
Summary by: Podcast Summarizer AI
This special "This Week in Music History" edition brings us a lively, conversational stroll through defining and quirky moments in music—covering late December into early January. Buzz Knight and “Master of Music Mayhem” Harry Jacobs dissect legendary milestones, reflect on artist legacies, and share personal anecdotes on a sweep from Elvis Presley’s chart-busting feats to Adele’s modern dominance, Beatlemania dramas, pivotal debuts, and more. The episode delivers a blend of archival detail, industry insight, and warm banter—perfect for music history fans nostalgic or new.
Penny Lane Origins:
Beatles Legal Dissolution (1970):
Led Zeppelin & Vanilla Fudge Odd Pairings [07:10]
Dave Mason’s Youthful Breakouts
Neil Young Honored in Canada:
Johnny Cash at San Quentin:
Notable New Year’s Eve Debuts
Rick Allen (Def Leppard) Tragedy and Triumph
Sir Paul McCartney:
Meat Loaf Encounters (Marvin Aday):
Jelly Roll’s Meteoric Rise:
Warren Zevon and Juicing Antics:
Eagles Greatest Hits vs. Thriller:
Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” and Unique Concert for One:
Long Debut Chart Runs:
Bob Dylan’s “Hurricane” and Social Impact:
Birthdays and Anniversaries:
| Time | Topic | |---------|------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:13 | Elvis sets 10 Top-100 hit record | | 04:55 | Chart records: Taylor Swift, Drake, Beatles vs. Elvis | | 05:45 | Adele’s “21” shatters UK/US album records | | 06:52 | Beatles/Beach Boys rivalry; “Penny Lane” inspiration | | 07:10 | Led Zeppelin opens for Vanilla Fudge | | 08:04 | Dave Mason’s exits and session legend | | 10:43 | Neil Young gets Officer of the Order of Canada | | 12:05 | George Harrison’s home attack | | 14:00 | Beatles’ business breakup | | 17:41 | Rick Allen’s accident and advocacy work | | 18:34 | Paul McCartney knighted | | 19:18 | Dick Clark & American Bandstand legacy | | 24:34 | Hank Williams’ death at 29 | | 24:53 | Nirvana signs, records “Bleach” | | 25:16 | The Clash launches London’s Roxy Club | | 26:10 | The Doors' TV debut on “Shebang” | | 29:50 | Jelly Roll’s rise & podcast guest experience | | 32:17 | Meat Loaf stories/studio memories | | 36:01 | Dylan records “Like a Rolling Stone” | | 36:51 | Dylan’s concert for one (Experiment N Sam) | | 39:13 | “Now and Then” – best-selling 2023 vinyl single | | 41:12 | Warren Zevon eccentricities | | 43:29 | Bob Dylan’s “Hurricane” | | 45:21 | Eagles Greatest Hits: sales trivia | | 46:43 | The Sphere experience | | 48:40 | Elvis’s doctor overprescribing scandal | | 50:30 | “Your Song” covers; Elton & Three Dog Night | | 51:31 | Elvis’s draft notice and military service |
Buzz and Harry’s rapport makes the wealth of facts, stories, and trivia not only informative but genuinely fun. There’s an undercurrent of nostalgia, friendly teasing, and a love for deep music lore—accentuated with warmth, humility about their own music nerd status, and admiration for both icons and overlooked contributors. Fans of music history will find both new stories and affectionate retellings of the classics, with plenty of recommendations for deep dives along the way.
Perfect For:
Music buffs seeking more than just chart facts—a blend of context, character, and camaraderie across eras.
End of Summary