This Week in Music History for the week of 9-1

Summary

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takin' a walk: This Week in Music History for the Week of September 1

Host: Buzz Knight
Guest: Harry Jacobs
Release Date: September 1, 2025

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Episode Overview

This lively episode of "takin' a walk" features host Buzz Knight and recurring guest Harry Jacobs as they stroll through significant moments in music history for the week of September 1st to September 7th. Filled with banter, inside stories, and plenty of humor, the duo explores pivotal events, legendary artists, and quirky behind-the-scenes anecdotes from the world of music spanning from the 1950s through the 1970s. The conversation, as always, is peppered with personal memories, playful teasing, and a nod to their dedicated listeners.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Banter, Beatles, and Broadcast Personalities (02:03–05:43)

• Opening and Listener Shout-outs:
  • Buzz and Harry kick off by joking about Buzz’s directional confusion and reference Justin from the Concord Cheese Shop, the show's loyal listener.
    • "I don't think I hurt my neck by doing that, thankfully." — Buzz Knight (02:32)
    • "Maybe you can do a this week in Music history without something from the Beatles, but I don't know if that's possible." — Buzz relaying Justin’s challenge (02:32)
• The ‘Jock’ Side of Buddy Holly:
  • Buddy Holly and Bob Montgomery auditioned for KDAV radio in 1953, earning a gig as "The Bob and Buddy Show."
  • Elaborates on radio terms: “jock” as shorthand for disc jockey.

Unexpected Music Pairings and the Age of Variety (03:44–04:23)

• Alan Freed’s 1st Anniversary Rock and Roll Party (1955):
  • Featuring an eclectic lineup: Chuck Berry and Tony Bennett.
    • "How about that for a bill? Chuck Berry and Tony Bennett." — Harry Jacobs (04:02)
  • Buzz observes that such unexpected combinations predate later rock festivals.

Legends Born and Rock Nicknames (04:23–07:29)

• Jerry Lee Lewis’s Sun Records Audition (1956):
  • Harry and Buzz discuss Lewis’s musical prowess and complicated personal legacy.
• The Origins of "The Killer":
  • Buzz shares tales from his radio past and his mother’s reaction to his "Killer" nickname.
    • "You're not a killer. Now I wonder if she was associating it in the raw sense..." — Buzz Knight (05:00)
• Radio Names & Personal Sides:
  • The story behind Buzz Knight’s on-air name, with mentions of former boss Mark Chernoff.
    • "I've known you since 1986. I've never known anyone that called you anything but Buzz." — Harry (07:19)

Beatles Milestones & Beach Boys Drama (07:32–11:36)

• Magical Mystery Tour Inspiration (1967):

  • Paul McCartney’s idea emerged after manager Brian Epstein's death.
    • "Guess what happened on this day... after Brian Epstein’s death — this sparked Paul McCartney's idea for Magical Mystery Tour 2." — Harry (07:32)

• The Beach Boys’ Free Central Park Concert (1977):

  • Massive crowd of 150,000+; Harry reflects on crowd sizes, referencing conversations with his mom.

• Brian Wilson Tribute Gone Awry:

  • Buzz shares a story (as reported in Rolling Stone) from a recent memorial where Mike Love, instead of honoring Brian, focused on defending his own songwriting credits.
    • "Oh my God, what an icky experience that must have been." — Buzz (09:28)
    • "What kind of person do you have to be to do that? Someone’s funeral..." — Harry (09:37)

• Why Buzz Never Interviewed Mike Love:

  • Buzz recalls choosing to interview jazz legend Dexter Gordon over Mike Love for his first published article.
    • "As fate would have it, I’m not meant for him and he's not meant for me." — Buzz (10:59)

• Recent Beach Boys Memories:

  • Harry’s story of seeing the current lineup, including a wild drummer likened to Animal from the Muppets, and concluding Mike Love should consider retirement.

Female Pioneers and Local Connections (11:44–12:31)

• Debbie Harry Signs with Chrysalis (1979):
  • Highlights the career milestone that included "Heart of Glass."
• Homes in Connecticut:
  • Harry brings up Debbie Harry moving to Woodbury, teasing a local story he's "saving for later."

Eclectic TV and Quiet Days in Rock (12:31–13:50)

• TV Lineup Flashback (1965):
  • James Brown, Booker T. & the MG’s, and The Kinks on Shindig! — another example of era-defining eclectic bills.
    • "Talk about a crazy Bill... probably a pretty good one." — Harry (12:31)
• Nothing Major on September 4th:
  • A rare "goose egg" day in music history, surprising the hosts.

Janis, Cream, and Keith Moon's Last Ride (13:50–17:45)

• Janis Joplin’s Last Recording Session (Sept 5, 1970):
  • Debut of “Me and Bobby McGee,” with Harry praising Joplin's unmatched delivery.
• Cream’s Farewell US Tour (Sept 6, 1968):
  • Remembering the supergroup’s significance; Buzz never saw them live but admires their legacy.
• Keith Moon’s Death (Sept 7, 1978):
  • Harry and Buzz reflect on the legendary drummer’s wild life and early demise.
    • "They were the guys that destroyed the hotel rooms." — Harry (15:21)
    • Discussion follows on how Keith Moon played alongside Roger Daltrey’s vocals, rather than as a traditional backing drummer.
    • "He played along with Roger, wow... that's pretty fascinating." — Buzz (17:28)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Unexpected Artist Pairings:
  "How about that for a bill? Chuck Berry and Tony Bennett." — Harry Jacobs (04:02)

• On Mike Love’s Memorial Faux Pas:
  “Oh my God, what an icky experience that must have been.” — Buzz Knight (09:28)
  “What kind of person do you have to be to do that? Someone’s funeral, messed up, the guy’s gone.” — Harry Jacobs (09:37)

• On Janis Joplin’s Signature Style:
  "No one does it like Janis, but, man, what a... what a great song that is." — Harry Jacobs (13:50)

• On Keith Moon’s Unique Drumming:
  "In the history of drummers, I’ve never seen anyone or heard anyone that plays like him... he played along with Roger." — Harry Jacobs paraphrasing Roger Daltrey (16:28)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:03] – Show introduction, banter, and Beatles mention
• [03:09] – Buddy Holly as a radio “jock”
• [04:01] – Alan Freed’s rock and roll party: Chuck Berry & Tony Bennett lineup
• [04:23] – Jerry Lee Lewis’s Sun Records audition, Buzz’s “Killer” nickname
• [06:01] – Buzz on using radio names, Mark Chernoff mention
• [07:32] – Magical Mystery Tour origins post-Brian Epstein
• [07:58] – Beach Boys Central Park concert; Brian Wilson memorial & Mike Love incident
• [10:04] – Buzz’s journalism debut: choosing Dexter Gordon over Mike Love
• [11:44] – Debbie Harry signs with Chrysalis
• [12:31] – Shindig! TV lineup (James Brown, Booker T., The Kinks)
• [13:50] – Janis Joplin’s final session and “Me and Bobby McGee”
• [14:48] – Cream’s farewell tour kick-off
• [14:48–17:30] – Keith Moon’s legacy and unconventional drumming style

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Episode Tone

Conversational, humorous, and deeply nostalgic. Buzz and Harry’s rapport keeps the episode flowing with light-hearted teasing, sincere musical admiration, and local flavor.

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For listeners who missed the episode:
This recap offers a guided walk through a week of music history milestones, from Buddy Holly’s radio roots to the wild, tragic end of Keith Moon, with delightful detours through personal radio tales, 1970s culture, and legendary classic rock figures. You'll learn plenty and laugh along the way — maybe even crave a good cheese!

Transcript

[Buzz Knight]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Chase Sapphire Reserve Sponsor]

This episode of Taking a Walk is brought to you by Chase Sapphire Reserve. Whether I'm booking my next vacation or going to a concert, Chase Sapphire Reserve is my gateway to the world's most captivating destinations. When I use my Chase Sapphire Reserve card, I get eight times points on all the purchases I make through Chase Travel and even access to one of a kind experiences like music festivals and sports events. And that's not even mentioning how the card gets me into the Sapphire Lounge by the club at select airports nationwide. No matter where I'm walking, travel is more rewarding with Chase Sapphire Reserve. Discover [e-mail] Sapphire Reserve cards issued by JP Morgan Chase Bank NA member FDIC subject to credit approval terms apply.

[Harry Jacobs]

Please welcome aboard the Johnson family.

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[Buzz Knight]

Buzz Knight, the host of the Taking a Walk podcast and welcome to another edition of this Week in Music History. This is for the week of September 1st to the 7th. I turn to my left. Wait a minute. No. I turned to my right. No.

[Harry Jacobs]

Oh.

[Buzz Knight]

I stare straight ahead. There he is at the music history desk, Harry Jacobs. Hello, Harry. Nice to see you again.

[Harry Jacobs]

It's like a. Like a video.

[Buzz Knight]

Hokey pokey it is.

[Harry Jacobs]

Put your left foot on, your left foot out.

[Buzz Knight]

I don't think I hurt my neck by doing that, thankfully. And one of our loyal listeners to this Justin of the infamous Cheese shop in Concord, he said maybe you can do a this week in Music history without something from the Beatles, but I don't know if that's possible. But anyway, I think what you're going.

[Harry Jacobs]

To do is you're going to send me his address and I'm going to come out there when I come to Boston and Justin and I are going to a little chat and over a piece of cheese, I Think that would be good?

[Buzz Knight]

I actually think if I could talk him into being a guest sometime on it, it would be pretty amusing. But anyway.

[Harry Jacobs]

All right.

[Buzz Knight]

All right.

[Harry Jacobs]

Let's rock and roll. September 1st through the 7th, 1953. On September 1st, Buddy Holly and Bob Montgomery auditioned for KDAV radio, landing a slot as the Bob and Buddy Show. Did you know that Buddy was, was a jock?

[Buzz Knight]

I didn't know that at all. At all.

[Harry Jacobs]

That's what we call a. For those of you that, that not that are non radio people, that the jock was short for disc jockey. So we would call him jock like it was the jock that's doing this shift or that shift or whatever. Buddy Holly was a jock. Had no clue.

[Buzz Knight]

I did not know that.

[Harry Jacobs]

Also on September 1st, 1955, Alan Freed, another famous DJ. Well, not any. Well, I don't think Buddy was famous as a dj, but DJ Alan Freed's first anniversary rock and roll party kicked off in Brooklyn with Chuck Berry and Tony Bennett.

[Buzz Knight]

Wow. How about that?

[Harry Jacobs]

How about that for a bill? Chuck Berry and Tony Bennett.

[Buzz Knight]

I didn't realize going back then that they even had the strange bills because we would, you know, grow to see that later on in years at, you know, coliseums and stuff that had strange ordered, you know, lineups. But that's a crazy one.

[Harry Jacobs]

Yeah, that's. That is a crazy one. September 1st in 1956, 19 year old Jerry Lee Lewis played for Sun Record staff with some early demos and he set the stage for his rock and roll stardom. Jerry, fantastic musician, entertainer. The moral compass was slightly out of calibration.

[Buzz Knight]

The killer, right?

[Harry Jacobs]

Yeah. And, and the Killer who, who liked his women younger than they should have been and I think married his cousin, if I'm correct.

[Buzz Knight]

I wonder if this partially why when I worked at WNEW in the era that I did, Dennis Elsa's gave me the nickname Killer. It was Bob Killer Kosak. And my mother listening in Stanford, Connecticut, who knew I had this other dual identity of Buzz Knight. She said to me, I don't like that nickname, the Killer. You're not a killer. Now I wonder if she was associating it in the raw sense of a killer or. Or she was not wanting me affiliated with the image of a Jerry Lee Lewis.

[Harry Jacobs]

Yeah, it's a good, it's a fair question. I wonder what, how she would answer that. I do have two questions related to the Bob Killer Kosak name.

[Buzz Knight]

Yes.

[Harry Jacobs]

Is this, is this the first time you've spoken on a broadcast about using a radio name that Buzz Knight is a radio name, as we would say.

[Buzz Knight]

I don't believe it's the first time. No. I think I shared this with my former boss and friend Mark Chernoff, actually at a walk in Central park, because he. He still, to this day, if I call Mark, he says, hey, what's going on, Bob?

[Harry Jacobs]

Interesting. So that leads to my next question. You've known Chernoff for a long time at home, your lovely wife, does she refer to you as Bob or Buzz? Yo, hey, hey, you, you or that one. Blockhead, right? It's not an answer, boss. What does she call you? She call you Bob or Bus?

[Buzz Knight]

It's no one thing. It's a. It depends on the moment. It depends which of the hairy eyeballs I deserve from her.

[Harry Jacobs]

Well, that's what I was gonna ask. That's the next question. It's gonna turn into therapist, like Dr. Phil. So if she's. If she's a. If she's pissed, do you get, like.

[Buzz Knight]

Robert, you get that it's happened.

[Harry Jacobs]

That was more from my mom.

[Buzz Knight]

I don't want to get into weird, you know, mother syndrome. I'm gonna conclude this episode quickly.

[Harry Jacobs]

We're only on the first day. So I just didn't. I just didn't. So she'll. But your. Your wife will sometimes call you Buzz or. Or Bob?

[Buzz Knight]

Begrudgingly, both.

[Harry Jacobs]

I've known you since 1986. I've never known anyone that called you anything but Buzz. So hearing. Thinking about you as Bob is foreign to me.

[Buzz Knight]

Yeah, it's foreign to me, too. Yeah.

[Harry Jacobs]

Hey, Justin from the cheese shop, Guess what happened on this day on September 1st in 1967, my brother. After Brian Epstein's death, the. The manager, Brian Epstein. This. This sparked Paul McCartney's idea for Magical Mystery Tour 2. Number two.

[Buzz Knight]

We could cut this out so Justin doesn't have to hear that. If you want.

[Harry Jacobs]

No staying in. And I like Bri. I like Brie, by the way. 1977, despite internal tensions, the Beach Boys performed a huge free concert at Central park, drawing over 150,000 people. This would be the kind of thing if you were to be sitting around, like, if I told my mother, because she loves the Beach Boys, if I said, mom, you know, on this day in 1977, the Beach Boys played a concert with over 150,000 people. She would say, is that one of the biggest. Harry, is that one of the biggest crowds ever? I would say, no, mom, it's not the biggest crowds ever. Certainly not at Central park either. They've had some doozies. There.

[Buzz Knight]

They sure have good.

[Harry Jacobs]

Good crowd.

[Buzz Knight]

Yeah. Speaking of doozy, I gotta. I gotta mention this. I don't know if you heard about this. They had a memorial ceremony for Brian Wilson recently, and I don't know if you heard about the Mike Love portion of that ceremony, but Mike Love gets up there and instead of paying tribute to. This is in Rolling Stone. Instead of paying tribute to Brian's legacy, he spent the time basically justifying all of the songs that he wrote that he says he did not get credit for.

[Harry Jacobs]

Anyone that.

[Buzz Knight]

I don't know.

[Harry Jacobs]

I'm gonna. You may get Mike Love as a guest at some point. I'm gonna.

[Buzz Knight]

I'm not sure about that. But, you know, I. I guess I. I guess I would take him on, but. Oh, my God, what an icky experience that must have been. What.

[Harry Jacobs]

You know, what kind of. What kind of person you have to be to do that? Someone's funeral, messed up, the guy's gone.

[Buzz Knight]

You know, and they had stuff. There was legal stuff that had been going on, you know, prior to Brian's death and everything like that. So this wasn't something brand new. But the fact that he chose to supposedly air it out at that event was kind of like, really, you know.

[Harry Jacobs]

So you don't think you're going to end up with Mike Love at any point in time? Because I do have something to say.

[Buzz Knight]

Yeah, I don't. And I'll tell you why. Because I turned him down. Many years ago when I had my first interview ever that I did, which was with. I was given a choice. I was writing for a local Dayton, Ohio music newspaper, and it was a way to get free tickets. And they said to me, okay, who do you want to go out and cover this particular Saturday? You have two choices. One is you can cover the Beach Boys and you can go interview Mike Love, or you can go to see the great saxophone player Dexter Gordon and interview him. So I said, please, not even a question. I'm going to. To see Dexter. So I kind of feel like, as fate would have it, I'm not meant for him and he's not meant for me.

[Harry Jacobs]

With that being said, the late Bob Rivers and I went to see the Beach Boys because he has a friend that plays drums for the Beach Boys. This guy reminds me of. Of Animal from the Muppets. He played the drums basically standing up like he's on a high stool, and he was making funny faces, and he literally was a. Just an animal. But I went with Bob Rivers before he, you know, before he passed and. And it was. You know, musically, it was great, and there were some amazing moments, but Mike. It is time for Mike Love to retire.

[Buzz Knight]

That.

[Harry Jacobs]

It was. I. I love so much of their music, and it was wonderful to hear, but by the end of the night.

[Buzz Knight]

It was bad time to go.

[Harry Jacobs]

Yeah, listen. 1979. We're still on the first day. 1979, September 1st. We're just blabbing like a couple of flap hippopotamuses. 1979. Debbie Harry, who was not only a singer, but an actress, signed with Chrysalis Records. That's. That's what that album was with Heart of Glass on it. I remember that. The Blue and White label. Chris.

[Buzz Knight]

Yep. There you go.

[Harry Jacobs]

And she just bought a home in Woodbury, Connecticut. Not Waterbury, but Woodbury, Connecticut.

[Buzz Knight]

You love telling that story.

[Harry Jacobs]

I know. I haven't told the story yet. I have not told the story. Can I tell the story? Do we have. I mean, we're just flapping our asses off.

[Buzz Knight]

Save and save it again, though. She'll come up, all right. There'll be a reason. Trust me. Okay. Remember the adage, leave them wanting more. Harry.

[Harry Jacobs]

Justin, when I come for cheese, I'm going to share the story between about Woodbury and Waterbury with you, and you'll get a giggle out of that. September 2, 1965. James Brown, Booker T. And the MGs and the Kinks. Talk about a crazy Bill. Are on TVs Shindig with James Brown performing Papa's Got a Brand New Bag. Probably a pretty good one.

[Buzz Knight]

Oh, lovely.

[Harry Jacobs]

You know, I don't get this information much. And I look and I really. I cull the sources. I got a message back from a bunch of different sources about September 4th. The message is no. Major classic rock pop culture events happened on September 4th. So we skip. We go to the 5th.

[Buzz Knight]

Kind of daunting. Okay.

[Harry Jacobs]

It's very strange. I haven't in the. And we've been. We started doing this in November or something. Almost a year coming up on. A year. Yeah, I've never. I've never gotten a goose egg. September 5, 1970. Janis Joplin reveals me and Bobby McGee during the final recording sessions that she would had. She ended up passing away a month after. And you know what a song that is when you hear a woman that has a raspy voice belt that one out. I mean, no one does it like Janice, but, man, what a. What a. What a great song that is.

[Buzz Knight]

The Kristofferson version is not bad either.

[Harry Jacobs]

Yeah, that's right. September 6, 1968. Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Jack Bruce, collectively known as Cream, launched their farewell tour in the U.S. this was a, you know, a big super group, you know, at, at the time, and I'm sure it was a. Was a good show to see you. You were too young for to have seen that.

[Buzz Knight]

Yeah, never, I mean, love their music from the beginning, but never had a chance to see them. Only saw Clapton a couple of times in the. In the later years, but. Yeah.

[Harry Jacobs]

Last story for the for the week, September 7, 1978. If you choose to not hear the Waterbury Woodbury story today, last story for the week, September 7, 1978. Keith Moon passed away at 32 in London. Thoughts on Keith Moon. I got some thoughts. I want to hear yours first.

[Buzz Knight]

Well, I mean, we were shocked when it happened, but then when you really reflected in what you knew about him and his lifestyle, you go, I'm not that shocked. So there was that. And then the band in general and certainly Keith in particular. I mean, were they not in the at, though, in those times? The definition of debauchery and rock and roll?

[Harry Jacobs]

They, they were the guys that destroyed the hotel rooms.

[Buzz Knight]

They were all of that. Yeah.

[Harry Jacobs]

Saturday Night Live did a skit. Someone playing Keith Moon kicking, you know, throwing TVs out the window and acting like a nut. It was him, right? He was the. Pete Townsend never really was crazy. Roger Deltrey never destroyed anything.

[Buzz Knight]

Keith Moon, they were, they had their craziness, the, the other boys, but. But Keith was the one who was the, the driver craziness. And so, yeah, I remember, you know, the, the early deaths in our life cycle, you know, of music figures are weird to reflect on now because I think our memories change over time of their music and also of their passing and the way that they passed, you know. Yeah, and that one, I mean, that was like, that was a big, big moment, you know, in, in, in history to, you know, to, to witness his passing and, you know, in, in terms of the way, you know, things were reported like that.

[Harry Jacobs]

Then I watched a, a Netflix show that was on Netflix about the making of one of their albums. I can't remember what it was at this point, but Roger Daltrey was sitting at the, at the desk, the mixer, and he was talking about how Keith played. And he said, in, in the history of drummers, I've never seen anyone or heard anyone that plays like him in particular, because he played along with Roger Daltrey. Instead of being a percussionist and being underneath him, he literally played along, said, listen to. Listen to me sing. He would just, he isolated the tracks.

[Buzz Knight]

Oh wow.

[Harry Jacobs]

So it was just Roger and Keith and I thought, oh, and I, you know, I have, I'm a, I'm a little bit of a, a musical guy and I thought, I never even, never even noticed that about Keith. But he played, he played along with Roger.

[Buzz Knight]

Wow. That's pretty fascinating.

[Harry Jacobs]

This day in 1978, September 7th, Keith Moon passes away. And with that I want to greet everybody in Waterbury and Woodbury. Thank you for listening out there. And that's this Week in Music History. I'll have a story for all of you down the road.

[Buzz Knight]

I would say a head spinning week in music history. I need to recover. But first of all, before I recover, I say thanks to Harry Jacobs and I say thank you for listening to the Taking a Walk podcast. We are available wherever you get your podcast.

[Chase Sapphire Reserve Sponsor]

This episode of Taking a Walk is brought to you by Chase Sapphire Reserve. Whether I'm booking my next vacation or going to a concert, Chase Sapphire Reserve is my gateway to the world's most captivating destinations. When I use my Chase Sapphire Reserve card, I get eight times points on all the purchases I make through Chase Travel and even access to one of a kind experiences and like music festivals and sports events. And that's not even mentioning how the card gets me into the Sapphire Lounge by the Club at select airports nationwide. No matter where I'm walking, travel is more rewarding with Chase Sapphire Reserve. Discover [e-mail] Sapphire Reserve cards issued by JP Morgan Chase Bank NA member FDIC subject to credit approval terms apply.

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[Buzz Knight]

This is an iHeart podcast.