Political Promoter For A Week, Rocker For A Night

How did a young, non-political San Francisco radio station DJ end up in Washington, sitting in the President's chair in the White House Oval Office? And playing rock 'n' roll piano with a dozen legendary performers?

It all happened one week in 1972, and especially one amazing night. Here's my Boomer Years experience.

My main thing is music. Many people love to listen to music. I love to make music, and when I can't do that, I love to present music. Love of music led me to a 20 years directing the programming of several music-format radio stations in San Francisco and Seattle, and also being on the air as a radio personality DJ (and behind the scenes working in production, engineering, and management). Behind closed doors, I also perform music on my piano, just for fun.

In 1972 I was program director of radio station KNEW "Channel 91" in San Francisco, meaning I devised and managed what we put on the air -- music, news, talk, contests -- and oversaw the radio entertainers and reporters who presented it. The format was pop music with plenty of "oldies" from the previous 15 years, presented by personality-type DJs.

Join the party

Tom Campbell did KNEW's afternoon show. Tom had connections to Republican Party, and one day he gave me an interesting offer. If he and I could take a week off, we could join a free concert series traveling to six cities, presenting six "legendary" rock/R&Bacts -- all expenses paid. Tom would be the show's on-stage MC, and I would do pre-show promotion via radio stations. Oh, there was some Republican purpose, but to me it was a unique combination of travel and music. I quickly said "yes."

It turned out that the concert series was being produced by a branch of the Republican Party's Committee to Re-Elect the President -- Richard Nixon, seeking his second term. The year 1972 was the first time people age 18 to 20 could vote, but voters under 30 were not known to vote much. So Young Voters for the President (YVP) was formed to help "awaken" and motivate young people to vote, and urge them to vote for President Nixon. Young Voters for the President was started in 1972 by Ken Reitz (who in 2007 worked with senator/actor Fred Thompson on his presidential bid). YVP eventually grew to about 3,200 active members.

In the autumn of 1972, President Nixon was well-regarded; his Watergate scandal and downfall were months in the future. While I didn't think of myself as a political partisan, being an official part of an official branch of the President's re-election team, just for one week, was too interesting to pass up.

The Young Voters for the President roadshow was scheduled for six major mid-west cities: Milwaukee, Chicago, Columbus, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, then a final show in Washington, DC suburb Falls Church, Virginia. And what a show...

Live on stage...

The YVP concerts were free, but the performers were well worth paying to see -- literally Rock/R&B legends:

Bobby Lewis belted out his huge hits Tossin' And Turnin' and One Track Mind -- what energy! I had met Bobby several months earlier at a huge concert my station sponsored in the Bay Area, where I gave him one of our station t-shirts. So imagine my surprise when, as I walked toward my hotel room, he popped out of a distance doorway, shouted "Hawkins!", ducked in then popped out holding the t-shirt I gave him. He brought it along when he heard I'd be part of the show. He said his daughter had worn his to college, got wonderful reaction, and could I send her a new shirt. Of course! (The t-shirt graphic was a large heart, the border repeating "KNEW Channel 91", and inside our catch-phrase "I May Be An Oldie But I'm A Goodie". It became so popular we sold them in Bay Area department stores.)

Danny and the Juniors brought down the house with monster hits At The Hop and Rock And Roll Is Here To Stay. During the tour I enjoyed hanging out with Juniors singer Bill Carlucci. I didn't make much of a connection with leader Danny Rapp, who always seemed a tad grumpy. (Whatever was bothering him, in 1983 he took his own life at age 41.)

Gary U.S. Bonds rocked with his huge hits New Orleans, Quarter To Three, School Is Out, Dear Lady Twist, School Is In, Twist Twist Senora, Seven Day Weekend, and more. The performers all traveled by chartered bus from city to city, but Gary Anderson (his real name) didn't like this much. As they piled off in Indianapolis, a shiny Cadillac convertible pulled up and Gary let out a whoop. It was his car, driven up from New Orleans by a friend he'd called. For the rest of the tour, Gary traveled in style and comfort.

The Coasters was the fun band, with Charlie Brown, Searchin', Poison Ivy, Yakety Yak, Along Came Jones, Smokey Joe's Cafe and other classics. The band had many members over the years, but leader Cornell Gunter was an original, though with some dispute over "how original". We had a wonderful chat one evening about the crazy 1950's R&B music scene in L.A., and all the groups he was in and records he did. (Sadly, Cornell was murdered in Las Vegas in 1990; Bill Cosby and Sammy Davis, Jr. paid for his funeral.)

Johnny Thunder had just one big hit, million-seller Loop De Loop in 1963. But as a past member of the Drifters and the Ink Spots, he gave a strong performance every night of the tour.

The Five Satins sang their big hit To The Aisle, and legendary slow dance "belly rubber" In The Still Of The Night. One night on the band bus, group leader Fred Parris told me how he wrote it, literally in the still of the night at 3AM while on Army guard duty in Pennsylvania. He and some friends recorded it in a New Haven church basement -- the reason it doesn't exactly have that "studio quality" sound. The song came out as the B-side of a 45, and no one was more surprised than Fred when many months later it became a hit. (And few noticed there are only four singers on this Five Satins song.) While not actually a huge nation-wide hit, everyone knows and loves this ultimate 50's doo-wop ballad. Fred brought down the house every night he sang it.

On stage, introducing the acts and reminding the audience to get out and vote, was my DJ colleague Tom Campbell. While Tom worked the nights, I worked the days.