A SINGING COWBOY HAS CHANTED HIS FINAL FAREWELL
If you have kept up with rodeo action and Country music in the past couple
of decades, the name CHRIS LEDOUX is familiar. CHRIS passed away Wednesday morning (March 9) at the age of 56 in Casper, Wyoming.
CHRIS had been valiant in his bout with Cancer. LEDOUX visited the Casper Medical Center a few days ago. This was after CHRIS
suffered continuing setbacks from medical care for stomach cancer.
LEDOUX had many quite varied talents - singer, songwriter, sculptor plus
a former world champion rodeo rider. CHRIS recorded for the Capitol-Nashville label. President and CEO of Capitol-Nashville,
MIKE DUNGAN, made these comments, All of us at Capitol Records and EMI Music are saddened at the passing of Chris. In
a world of egos and soundalikes, he was a unique artist and a wonderful man. We have always been proud to represent his music,
and honored to call him our friend. Our thoughts go out to his wife Peggy and the LeDoux family.
Music and rodeo seemed to parallel LEDOUX's early life because he began
pickin' and singin' and wild horse ridin' when he was a mere teeny-bopper. Rodeo life can be difficult for a young
man. CHRIS began to put his equestrian experiences into lyric form. Soon, rodeo followers of LEDOUX's rushed him to put these
thoughts on record and tape. Well, 22 individual recordings were made available for CHRIS' anxious
fans.
CHRIS became very well known throughout America when GARTH BROOKS'
big hit, Much Too Young (To Be This Damn Old) spoke of CHRIS LEDOUX. That's about the time Capitol records snapped
up and baptised LEDOUX with a choice recording contract in 1990. Since then, around 6 million copies of 15 different LP's
have poured into the hands of CHRIS' many fans.
The LEDOUX family ranch in Kaycee, Wyoming was a happy home. Whenever
engagements permitted, CHRIS rushed home to be with his loving family.
In the year 2000, which was just about ten years after the Capitol pact,
doctors discovered a liver infirmity. Next came a liver transplant which apparently was triumphant. Never can keep a good
man down. Within a few months, LEDOUX was on the road again. LEDOUX was very outstanding in his stage show activity. CHRIS
really rocked the platform. That's what CHRIS' fans had come to expect of their shining star.
Toward the latter part of 2004, that evil demon cancer popped up. The
application of radiation was immediately brought to the forefront. By the first of 2005, things appeared to be once again
looking up for LEDOUX. Physicians began to feel as if LEDOUX's first radiation array was sufficient. March 9th 2005 ended
CHRIS' pain and suffering.
Music became my love at a very early age, too. Radio was the prime source.
The record crusade fully got under way when dad bought me a nice maroon and gray vinyl covered record player in a hard
wood case with a fold down lid. This set dad back $19.95 at a Dallas department store. That was a lot of dough! There
was no stylus. The tonearm actually had a needle. With this came lots of loud music at the house of ROSES. The quest for 45 rpm records led to wanderings all over Dallas. Of course
dad was the transportation. These not only included the hits, but the obscure tunes as well.
78 rpm records were large, heavy, thick, easily broken into pieces and
had a tiny hole drilled in the center for placement on the turntable. 78s were old technology of the forties and early fifties.
Mid way into the fabulous fifties 45 rpm records were introduced to us tune freaks. 45s were made of vinyl, smaller
in overall size, thinner, limber, but were easily warped due to heat exposure. A much larger hole in the center was the distinguishing
factor of 45 rpm records. Price for a brand new 45 rpm record was 89c. The larger 78 rpm disk set you back 98c.
Sounds a mite trifle these days when CDs run as high as 20 bucks. We're
talking about a period 45-50 years ago, where a dollar was still worth a dollar. A dollar bill to a child of the fabulous
fifties was a lot of money. A red roll with at least a hundred brass bb's only cost a thin dime. If I had enough change to
purchase more than one roll of bb's, felt like a prince. Could shoot almost all day with 40 cents worth of bb's.
Look out grasshoppers. A packet of Wrigley's spearmint chewing gum in the green wrapper was a nickle. Now we have a black
rapper called 50 CENT. Dr. Pepper in a bottle was a dime. Soda pop tasted much, much better in a bottle. Remember very well
when the very first buffet bistro hit the streets of Oak Cliff. Buffet lines were something we had never seen
in that neck of the woods. It was a large new cafetaria with what appeared to be an assembly line of food from which
to choose. The huge dining chamber produced at least a hundered tables for your selection. Very much like today's
Luby's, but a brand new concept back then. For a buck twenty-five, you could scarf down many vittles.
Explored all means possible. Five and dime stores were good sources. At
five and dime stores, you could literally find nearly anything you wanted and a lot of it cost only a nickle or dime. Can't
even buy a cup of java for that price nowadays. Songs which weren't big hits and didn't sell out were stuck in the low-priced
bin. When one of those spots was discovered, could spend an hour perusing the platters. Searched high and low for tunes by
every major artist and group of the fifties and sixties. These gems could be found at any store which needed to downsize its
inventory. Each 45 could be had for as little as a dime to as much as 39c. Hated it when the low price was stamped on the
record label, but beggers can't be choosers.
Thank GOD, the flow of ELVIS music has never ceased. Now, a lot of PRESLEY
songs are re-packaged on CDs for the entire world to continue to enjoy. At one time had several 78 rpm records in my evergrowing
stash, one of those was an ELVIS Sun records release, Mystery Train and the flip was Blue Moon of Kentucky.
They are long gone decades ago, because movers and crunchers moved them into their own collection or a flea market sale.
Don't know what 45 rpm, 33 1/3 rpm or 78 rpm means? Shame on you. RPM
is not a Scrunge group from Seattle, it stands for revolutions per minute. 78 rpm records were the first music sources after
HENRY EDISON's cylinders were updated. Don't know what a music cylinder is? You're not alone. Have seen pictures of them.
Did we have deejays that far back?
Spun 45s and LPs all over the great state of Texas for nearly fifteen
years until music carts came along. 1970's brought forth music on cartridges (carts) for us deejays to air all the Hot Wax.
This certainly made it very easy for us deejays, because each record was now on tape which was inside individual rectangular
shaped plastic boxes which were in the neighborhood of 5" x 4" in size. These plastic radio music boxes looked almost identical
to 8-track tapes.
Don't know what 8-track tapes are? Why you're showing your age. Just a
mere infant in the wonderful world of music. 8-track tapes were presented to us music lovers by the record companies
a little over a couple of decades ago. With these marvels, LPs were now on tape neatly placed inside a plastic box with a
picture of the LP on its top. If you forgot which arias you had, they were listed on that same synthetic box.
Record companies made sure that 8-track tapes and carts were not compatible.
Took entirely different types of players. We deejays couldn't simply play an 8-track tape on the air directly from its own
container. We still had our 45 rpm and LP records. So, we copied (dubbed) each separate melody (cut) onto its own special
cart.
This marvel did away with a huge portion of deejay's activities in the
control room. It zoomed everything fast forward to give more time for the other on-air duties. We didn't have to search record
bins, remove the records from their covers (shucks), place them onto the turntable and cue the cut to the beginning note anymore.
So when we flicked the switch, the sound came forth instantly.
These carts had labels on the end which proudly displayed in huge numerials
its own assigned slot. The song titles, artist, length, intro time and how it ended were right there, too. All we had to do
was find (pull) our music carts from the wall racks. Made it much more simple to learn the deejay craft.
The advent of CDs made a DJ's life even more easy. CDs contain an entire
LP with each cut already set up for the radio station control room's CD playback units. When the DJ crams a CD into the playback,
just twist a knob to the particular desired cut and it's ready for action. Again, record companies made sure that these radio
station playback machines are not interchangeable with the CD units in your car or at home.
With these masterpieces, the DJ simply
pulls his or her CDs from tall revolving carousel wire racks just a few feet behind where the deejay perches during showtime.
Nowadays, all you have to do is peer at a computer screen. Most of the time each hour's music is already pre-programmed, waiting
and ready to leap forward.
CHUCK TILLER (Houston, TX) chucktiller@yahoo.com Jim,
Good talking to you, last night. At least you were able to meet your deadline. Jeff McClain mentioned Royce Guinn in his email
to you. What he didn't mention is that Royce passed away about 3 years ago due to complications caused by diabetes. He worked
in the air from the mid 60s to late 80s in Houston. Royce was excellant on the air, He worked on the air at KILT, KRBE, KXYZ,
KNUZ, KAUM and the old KFMK, to name a few.
I mention him because there are
others who may remember "Royce Edward Guinn." His brother Mat Guinn was "Mat Quinn, the Mighty Quinn, on 104 KRBE back in
its Superrock days in the 70s when they were kickin everbody's butt in Houston. All the cats had heavy duty voices and were
great communicators. Mat is now a successful stock broker. Talk to ya soon, Chuck
Great to hear from another of my good
ole KILT buddies. Lots of us KILT creatures out here in neverland. Now that I think about it, maybe another term should be
put to use. Oh well. CHUCK has re-entered the new KILT building in the Galleria to perform on another one of the Infinity
bean-counter's radio dial positions. 24 Greenway Plaza is where the Houston Infinity radio division warehouse is positioned.
There are four-in-a-row: KILT FM (Country),
KILT-610 (Sports), KIKK-650 (Hot Talk) and KHJS [KIKK] FM (Smooth Jazz). The All Night CHUCKER is now Good Morning CHUCKER
at KHJS FM. TILLER slices the Smoothest Jazz this side of the Crescent City.
Does all this enormous latterday ballyhoo
about broadcast lingo mean there will be a new volume added to each radio station control room library in America? A large
book which contains only approved articulations to be proounced on the radio? Why that means before each stop-set, every DJ
will have to gallantly search through the new diction post to make sure his or her next syllable will not offend any single
person or group of individuals on the face of our green planet earth. Four minute tunes don't allow that much time with the
many other on-air DJ duties. Could rename each DJ musical the I LOVE LUCY show.
Probably what will come out of this
is all DJs will have to submit their entire script to the radio station warden for air permission. Here we go back to early
schoolyard game days of MAY I drama. If the permitted libretto is not adhered to the pleasure of the watchman, the
DJ will be banished to a moon station forevermore.
Our buddy, DR. BRUCE NELSON of Houston's
KENR-1070 and KNUZ-1230 fame motored way down south to Texas' Coastal Bend in 1995 to lead Real Country KFTX FM into
the great success he experienced at KENR. DR. NELSON commented on the Bayou City's latest ARB results.
DR. BRUCE NELSON STRATTON (Corpus Christi,
TX) BStratton@wbhq.com Thanks
for the Houston Numbers......!!!! Where is KENR, I demand a recount !!!! Good Arb for us...4.6 puts us in the top five
(Out of 30) but even better w/in a share of K-99 (Clear Channel)...Life is good !!! Take Care...Dr. B
The wonderful KENR, with fabulous studios
up high in that tall Greenway Plaza skyscraper, is still in the minds, bodies, hearts and souls of us lucky ones who were fortunate
to be behind the mic at 1070.
In May 1995, Corpus Christi's KWVS -
The Waves Classic Rock, switched formats to Country. Under the direction of DR. BRUCE NELSON, the Quality Broadcasting
operation became KFTX FM. DR. NELSON holds the post of General Manager, plus AM Drive personality at Real Country
KFTX FM (97.5).
The KFTX FM DJ line-up includes DR.
BRUCE [6-10am], AUSTIN DANIELS [10am-2pm], CHUCK ABEL, who is Program Director [2-6pm], WILLIE LOPEZ [6pm-Midnight] and TIM
LANE [midnight-6am]. DR. BRUCE is also a columnist for the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, which is a Scripps-Howard newspaper.
Here is a quote from DR. BRUCE's bio:
"Dr. Bruce" Nelson Stratton, General
Manager, 6am - 10 am. His induction into the Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame in March of 2004 recognized Stratton for
his long radio career, which includes work at WPLO, Atlanta, WUBE, Cincinnati, WMIL, Milwaukee, where he served as program
director, and twenty years in Houston at KENR and KNUZ Radio.
In 1973, he was part of the team
that brought the first number one ratings in all demographics, twelve years plus, to a major market country station (KENR).
Dr. Bruce's 11.9 share of the audience in the forty-four station major market has yet to be duplicated.
In 1974, Bruce was named Music Director
of the Year at the Gavin Radio Conference in Kansas City. He holds over fifty record company awards for his part in establishing
the careers of stars such as Freddy Fender, Mickey Gilley, Gene Watson, Johnny Lee and many others.
Stratton is considered a pioneer
of today's modern country music format, being among the first to advocate a departure from yesterday's "corn-pone" approach
to country music, and to strive for professional radio first. Dr. Bruce has spent over thirty years working in the major markets
before coming to the coastal bend eight years ago, and was also a inducted into the Country Music Association of Texas Hall
of Fame in the fall of 1999.
Now that we are on the sincere subject
of radio stars, what do you think of the HOWARD STERN hoopla? Is all this much ado about nothing? Sirius satellite radio's
honchos have been beating their chests like apes in the deap dark jungles of Africa concerning HOWARD STERN's departure to
Sirius' moon rocket. Sirius loudly proclaims the drastic increase in subscriptions is singlehandedly based on the magnificently
obsessed deal which brings happy HOWARD to planet Sirius.
Die-hard STERN fans have been overjoyed
that they will not lose their main man, but when informed that they would have to pay a monthly subscription fee to partake
in the STERN merriment, Jumping Jehoshaphat! The percentage of interest dropped like a boulder in the bay. By March 4, 2005,
only 7-10% reported they would pay a monthly fee to subscribe to Sirius satellite radio in order to feast their ears on HOWARD
STERN.
The scope of this column on the Internet
really is astonishing, flabbergasting and many times unbelievable. Received this very surprizing email Saturday night from
a woman who was a girl whom I dated in San Antonio back in the late 1960's and early 1970's. What is so ironic and mind-boggliing
is hardly a day passes that she doesn't cross my mind. Even more so in the past week or two. Does ESP really work? This lovely
lass by the name of ROSALIND made reference to the June 25, 2004 (#4) column when I mentioned the time when I was a news journalist
at KITE (1972) in San Antonio and she accompanied me to a couple of Texas political candidates' homes on election night. ROZ
copied a line from that infamous column: ROZ was one of the two voluptuous daughters of the owner of Garza's Western Wear
on South St. Mary's, San Antonio's premere cowboy dud hangout.
ROSALIND HARRIS (San Antonio, TX) rharris1@satx.rr.com Dear
Jim: My niece ran across this the other day. I had not thought about those days in a long time. It's funny, because the parties
were for Guy Floyd and Nelson Wolfe, and I lived across the street from the Floyds for about 10 years, and Bonnie and I still
talk. I do remember those parties and I was very impressed. What's going on with you these days? I'll tell you more about
me when you write back. Sincerely, Rosalind
Have not seen ROZ since 1971. That was
when she motored to Dallas for a visit when I was at KBOX/KTLC FM. Asked ROSALIND how she came across this column.
ROSALIND HARRIS (San Antonio, TX) rharris1@satx.rr.com Dear
Jim: Funny. My niece put Garza’s Western Wear in the computer and this came up. I had wondered what had happened to
you. I bet you still look good. Rosalind
Compliments will get you everywhere,
but I have a gorgeous girl by the name of KEI-KOU. She's an Akita who looks like a wolf but with me she's gentle as a lamb.
Just have to keep all the other doggies, cats, squirrels, rabbitts, cows and horses out of her sight because of the fierce
snarl and blistering blitzkrieg their presence ensues.
That brings to mind a time here
in H-town back in the the golden disco days of Houston radio in the late 1970's. Speaking of blitzkrieg, there was a sinister
creature from one of the Bayou City's dark lagoons who stalked me with fire breathing nostrils throughout Harris county for
nearly five years. One day, a book might emerge about this crispy critter. She possessed the label of SHIRLEY. This person
should've worn a badge which carried the word DESTRUCTION in large fonts. She, too, had a fierce snarl and occasional bouts
of hostility.
ROZ was on the opposite end of the spectrum.
ROSALIND had extremely flirtatious mannerisms and marvelous anatomicical spirals. But, that was over 30 years ago.
From the Land of Enchantment, joyful
news arrives concerning the proud HALEY family.
FRANK HALEY (Albuquerque, NM) fhaley@qwest.net Hello, I just wanted to let you
know that my son Matt Haley has finally published his first original comic book. He did all the art work and color. It's called
G. I. SPY. It's set in the early 1940's during WWII. Take a look at this web site and let me know what you think.
http://www.gispyonline.com/ Matt ask me to ask you to forward this note to any of your friends who might be interested in it. Thanks, Frank
Mighty intriguing first page. Makes
me want to dig out the Lugar and a pair of H-K's for protection while perusing the pages.
NATE FISHER (Foster City, CA) reply-4@noc.live365.com Hello,
Last weekend, I visited Christo's cheery, saffron Gates in New York's Central Park, which provided a sliver of color against
the bare trees and the gloomy February weather. The Gates are being dismantled now, but spring is right around the corner,
hard as that is to believe.
The days are getting longer, baseball
is nearly back, and Live365 is gearing up for the Second Annual Live365 Community Summit. Even if you're just an avid listener
of Live365, you should consider making the trip out to the beautiful and cosmopolitan San Francisco Bay Area from April 29
to May 1, 2005.
You can meet Live365 broadcasters, music
industry insiders, and other Internet radio fans, plus preview the newest Internet radio devices. We'll have panels and how-to
demonstrations, and, of course, you'll get a bag of free goodies to take back home with you. Hope to see you there! Best, Nate Fisher
Live365 Editor
Never a man of few middling words, REV.
AL SHARPTON has announced that he will call for a 90-day ban on broadcasting outlets in America for any recording artist who
promotes lyrical violence. Some kind of ban should be placed on the right REV. AL SHARPTON.
