Memory in Top 40 Music

The Apollo 11 moon landing marked the achievement of the goal laid out by President Kennedy in 1961 to land a man on the moon before the end of the decade of the 1960’s.  Join us in this episode of Memory in Top 40 Music as we tell the story of this first moon landing and count down the songs at the top of the chart on that historic day, July 20, 1969.

Spotify Playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/48TQMxyctDpjiaU6sSC2ZE?si=Vdh1r_p8TjOvxi0iZLSBdA

Back before it was officially known as the Super Bowl, the New York Jets of the American Football League shocked the Baltimore Colts of the National Football League to win the football championship.  Join us in this episode of Memory in Top 40 Music to hear the story of how the guarantee of a daring young quarterback, Joe Namath, impacted the AFL-NFL merger as we count down the songs at the top of the chart on the day of that big game, January 12, 1969.

Spotify Playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/user/03x07at8b9z62qxhm2e39m4cf/playlist/7jT6HEz6YN6ASkNHRdG1gR?si=eajM9FpPQZq7WTTWwlb9SQ

email: [email protected]

Following her death in August 2018, we explore the groundbreaking career of Aretha Franklin.  In this, the second of two special Memory in Top 40 Music episodes dedicated to the Queen of Soul, we look back at Aretha Franklin’s Top 40 chart success, and we pick things up in 1971.  Plus, in our Memory Jogger feature, we recall members of the Jefferson Airplane, the Angels and the Funk Brothers, as well as Roy Clark and a man who engineered many of the Beatles’ historic recordings.

Spotify Playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/user/03x07at8b9z62qxhm2e39m4cf/playlist/1kXxdi4J38fvbvogj7q3bd?si=Q9XFN82eQLmeFX-2OVfBGw

email: [email protected]

Following her death in August 2018, we explore the groundbreaking career of Aretha Franklin.  In this, the first of two special Memory in Top 40 Music episodes dedicated to the Queen of Soul, we look back at Aretha Franklin’s Top 40 chart success through 1970.  In our Memory Jogger feature, we recall members of the Bay City Rollers, Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Jive Five and The Funk Brothers, as well as Tab Hunter, among others.

Spotify Playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/user/03x07at8b9z62qxhm2e39m4cf/playlist/5HCPQjzSuDgeMxXVxSQF1m

email: [email protected]

The Bicentennial of the United States was one of the greatest days of coast-to-coast celebration in the history of the USA.  Join us in this episode of Memory in Top 40 Music as we tell the story of the Bicentennial celebration and review the songs at the top of the chart from July 4, 1976.

Spotify Playlist:  https://open.spotify.com/user/03x07at8b9z62qxhm2e39m4cf/playlist/3KeimDQyQ9vVqvEvAbHVKB?si=AEEqmnUOSMuyUzIzwYxztg

email: [email protected]

The 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was designed to encourage America’s leaders to take the steps necessary to ensure the civil and economic rights of African Americans. It also gave us the “I Have a Dream” speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, words which remain significant to this day. Join us in this episode of Memory in Top 40 Music as we tell the story of that historic March on Washington and review the songs at the top of the chart from August 28, 1963.

Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/03x07at8b9z62qxhm2e39m4cf/playlist/13nvkouivaL1w7P9FDMei0?si=jfeWOd-jQ46CJQ38196x4A

email: [email protected]

For 13 days, the USA and Soviet Union engaged in a tense and terrifying stare down over the presence of nuclear-armed missiles just 90 miles from the United States. That standoff was the Cuban Missile Crisis. In this episode of Memory in Top 40 Music we look back at the top of the chart from October 28, 1962, the day the crisis came to an end. In our Memory Jogger feature, we remember the late Bill Burkette, Craig Mack, Nokie Edwards and Kenny O’Dell.

Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/03x07at8b9z62qxhm2e39m4cf/playlist/1LEWfiPzuLxKUxqLhJucmk?si=TCkvgz94QL2No9JkPpWmuQ

email: [email protected]

Motown Records went as far in defining the sound of the 1960’s as any other label; probably more than most. And in this episode of Memory in Top 40 Music, we look back at the top of the chart for the week of September 4, 1961, when the first Motown record to hit the Number 1 spot on the pop charts entered the Hot 100. In our Memory Jogger feature, we remember the late Dennis Edwards, Craig MacGregor, Barbara Ann Alston and Vic Damone.

Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/03x07at8b9z62qxhm2e39m4cf/playlist/7HXzCOWQRSgb1sdcAH1WbZ?si=XflrusRmRcGV6GNtebsfvA

email: [email protected]

Music has become a large part of the Olympics experience. In this special episode of Memory in Top 40 Music, we remember the songs associated with the Olympics which made the pop charts. In our Memory Jogger features, we remember the late Edwin Hawkins, Dolores O’Riordan and Hugh Masekela, as well as talk about some of the songs from the Olympics which did not make the charts.

Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/user/03x07at8b9z62qxhm2e39m4cf/playlist/7zaEyxtPVTYRBKx8sqcyAf?si=-hP_7yJyTJuYUqb1SMQAlg

email: [email protected]

On February 3, 1959, a plane crash took the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P. Richardson (The Big Bopper). This episode of Memory in Top 40 Music goes back to that day, now known as “The Day The Music Died”, to tell the story of that event which shook the first rock and roll generation and to review the songs at the top of the chart. In our Memory Jogger feature, we look back at Don McLean’s big hit “American Pie” which was a song about that fateful day.

https://open.spotify.com/user/03x07at8b9z62qxhm2e39m4cf/playlist/00uWRcf8f8qARNc4k3UDq7

email: [email protected]