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MARV GOLDBERG'S
YESTERDAY'S MEMORIES
RHYTHM & BLUES PARTY
on the Vocal Group Harmony Website
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FAN CLUB CARDS Once upon a time, I listened to the radio from the minute I came home from school to the time I went to bed (broken only by "necessary" television programs, of course). Many of the shows I listened to offered fan club cards; if they did, I usually sent for one. Over time, I also added some from other music-related organizations I belonged to. Since they've been moldering in a scrapbook these many years, I thought I'd take them out one more time and share them with you.  
The Alan Fredericks Night Train show - This was where I started to learn about R&B. While I had grown up listening to Alan Freed, that wasn't learning, just something I did, like breathing. Fredericks was on WADO (1280 AM). My card shows "Fredricks," but another card that I saw (from his earlier WHOM days) spells it "Fredericks."
Somewhere along the line he was let down by one of his fan clubs (or, at least, by the printers' union). His son assures
me that it's spelled "Fredericks."
 
Sink Or Swim With Swingin' Slim - Slim Rose had the most hilarious oldies show ever. Unintentional, of course, but it was hilarious. I never felt that he had any real knowledge of anything he played. Many of the things he charged a lot for at the time haven't increased in value a bit, while some of his cheapo records are now worth a fortune. He never seemed to know himself what was going to come out of his mouth on the program. It pretty much redefined "amateurish." He was on WBNX, in the Bronx (1380 AM).
 
Dan Ingram Kemosabe Kard - I listened to him in the 60s, on WABC (770 AM), because he was hilarious (but intentionally so). When you're stuck in Top-40 radio, you need something to make you stand out. Dan's shtick was to be outrageously funny (but not like the idiot shock jocks that exist today).
 
Murray The K's Record Review Board Club - I have no memory of what this was about. I suppose that you got to call up and vote on new records to be "Record Of The Week" or some such. He was on WINS (1010 AM).
 
Pete Meyers Swamp Lovers Card - Something else I have little memory of. Meyers was another WINS DJ, and I think this had something to do with saving some New Jersey swampland. However, it could just as well have been a plea to make New Jersey into a swamp. Wish I could remember. Pete portrayed a character called "Mad Daddy." I also have, for some reason, a matchbook with Pete Meyers' photo on it. Sometimes I wonder where I get these things from.
KBBA - Keep The Big Beat Alive was an organization and a fanzine. It holds a special place in my heart because the first R&B article I ever wrote (on the Clovers) appeared in it in 1964. If you haven't read it, you're really missing something (but I'm not sure what); you can laugh at it here.
Orioles Fan Club - Sonny Til was amazed that there was actually an Orioles fan club in 1964. I contributed some scribblings to their newsletter.
 
Jocko - Your Ace From Outer Space. No one had a voice like Jocko. Nowadays, what he did would be called "rap"; I referred to it as "patter." Either way, he was my favorite DJ. I only wish I could have heard him in the 50s. In the 60s, I listened to him on WADO (1280 AM).
NOW IT'S YOUR TURN I've shown you mine; now you show me yours. If you've got a relevant fan club card from the period, why not send me a scan of it and let's share it with the world. Please keep it reasonably small; I don't want multi-megabyte files showing up in my mail. Up to half a meg is reasonable. Here's what's come in so far:   
Ramon "I Am The" Bruce - While I'm aware of him today, I can't honestly say I ever heard of him in the 50s. At the time of this card, which was probably late 1955, he was on WAAT (970 AM) in Newark, New Jersey, He had recently been on WNJR (1430 AM, also out of Newark). One of his sponsors was Flap's After Hours Record Bar (at 2100 7th Avenue, at the corner of 125th Street). Lexy "Flap" Hanford was the owner of the After Hours and Chariot labels (as in: Vibranaires).
By February 1958, The Bruce had relocated to KSAY, in San Francisco.
Courtesy of Ferdie Gonzalez. Special thanks to Al Trommers.
The Flamingos - Unfortunately, this card is from the 70s. Boy, would I like to see a Flamingos fan club card from the 50s (that should probably be taken as a hint to anyone from Chicago). The good news is that it is signed by Zeke Carey. Courtesy of Ferdie Gonzalez.
 
George "Hound Dog" Lorenz - The leading DJ in Buffalo, New York in the 50s. He was mostly on WKBW (1520 AM). Interestingly, he was managed by Lew Platt, who was Alan Freed's manager in the early days. Thanks to Marty Biniasz of the George Lorenz site. And thanks to Gino Alfano for pointing this one out.
 
Zacherly (The Cool Ghoul) - Host of TV's Shock Theater (admit it, you watched it too) was the alter ego of John Zacherle. Each week, he showed classic 30s and 40s horror films, which he interrupted with the most wonderful bizarre nonsense. (Nowadays, I suppose I'd rather watch Elvira, but I was younger then.) Since he also had a hit record ("Dinner With Drac"), I have no problem including him here. Thanks to Jim Knusch (Prof Kinema).
 
Bandstand - This was the start of Bandstand. In September 1952, the show debuted, over Philadelphia's WFIL-TV, with Bob Horn as host. A single-market show, it was doing well by 1956, when Horn was arrested for drunken driving. Then his troubles really started, when trumped-up charges about sex with an underage girl were leveled. Guilty or not, all this ended his career with Bandstand. After that, Dick Clark took over, but it was never the same. Thanks to Al Kelly, who worked at WFIL after school.
 
Alan Freed - Here he is: the "King Of Rock & Roll". Even if it was blatant self-promotion, you probably wouldn't be reading this today if it weren't for him. Originally making a lot of noise in Cleveland, he came to New York's WINS (1010 AM) in September 1954. I discovered him in the Spring of 1955, and my life was "changed forever" (to coin a phrase). This primitive-looking card was probably from late 1954 or early 1955, since he was legally enjoined from using the name "Moondog" soon after coming to New York.
Thanks to Judy Freed and the Alan Freed web site. Thanks also to John A. Jackson.
And say, gang, since it's kinda apropos, here's a photo of Moondog that I took around 1960. This is the guy who kept Alan Freed from using the "Moondog" name in New York. He was a street person, but was able to show the courts a contract, under the name "Moondog", that was dated a couple of years before Freed started using the term. His real name was Louis Thomas Hardin. It's a good bet that when I took this shot I didn't even know that Freed had called himself "Moondog" before coming to New York (heck, I probably didn't even know that Freed had been in Cleveland!). The second Freed fan club card, on the right, was probably from late 1956 or early 1957. Thanks to Albert Simmel for the card.
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