Milwaukee WFOX AM from April 1957

I am linking here to a replay (partial)(available for a few weeks) of a show broadcast this Saturday on WMBR in Cambridge. Presented is a Top40 list from Milwaukee WFOX AM from April 1957 – about the time the Milwaukee Braves were launching their most incredible season!

https://wmbr.org/archive/88_Rewound____2_8_20_5%3A58_AM.mp3

WMBR is the MIT station located in Cambridge MA and as you might expect the radio signal engineering at the station is exceptional what's even better is the music volunteers provide insight into unique genres, and it's pretty educational to listen to, as well as fun.

A DJ there that does several shows is Alex McNeil, who has a fabulous understanding for  rocknroll and related music, as well as very imaginative approaches to what I would call musicology. He also grinds it out – meaning he does the detail labor of research– which is most apparent in 88 Rewound, the show linked to here.

McNeil does a show Saturday mornings at 6 am ET called 88 Rewound which is a true highly evocative shapeshifting time tunnel trip. It’s described as such: “Rewound recreates a radio station survey or countdown from somewhere in the US or beyond, playing the hits (and misses) as they appeared back in the 50's, 60's, 70's or 80's.” Whew! If you are normal or semi-normal and sleeping or half-dozing when the show broadcasts, the wonders of its archive play list are available so you can time shift your time tunnel listening.

Some notes the list is a mix of showbiz popular, emerging rock and roll up to colors, country and such.

Alex told me in Phone conversation that this list is not too much different from others of the time indifferent towns . However there is much more variation than there was in the years to come yes radio stations moved from being owned locally to being owned and run nationally.

Looking at the list which you can do by following this other link you see quite a menage. There are the country guys -Sonny James, George Hamilton, Ferlin Husky; the straight ahead show biz pop – Ray Conniff, Doris Day, Four Lads, David Rose, Steve Lawrence; and, of course, most importantly, the small label rocknroll inventors Fats Domino, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, as well as the other soldiers in the rocknroll uprising such as Eddie Cochran, the Del Vikings and Buddy Knox.

Showbiz’s hegemony would be gradually usurped by rocknroll’s gleeful anarchy

It’s pretty apparent that the market was segmented by vendor, with there being the big powerful labels like Columbia, the peripheral competitors like Dot, and the soulful outliers like Specialty and Chess.
What’s notable looking at the list are competing versions of the same song (e.g., Party Doll, Marianne, Sitting in the Balcony). DJ Alex said one of the numbers in the listing hit the Great Roll of Popularity known as the National Charts for 6 or 7 different groups.

What’s Top of the Pops in old Milwaukee in 1957? Round and Round (the round by Perry Como) is/was Number 1. You have to remember this one, if you were there! [If you saw Brendan Frasier’s Blast From the Past you may recall it more especially nearly.] Round and Round creeps into your brains and inhabits your viscera – kind of like the Creature from the Black Lagoon – but happy. Elvis clocked in at #2 with All Shook Up and a little further down the ladder with Too Much.

The only rocknroll here I definitely remember from the place and time -- when a dear baby sitter, wearing jean cutoffs and her dad’s old long white shirt,  would turn on the rebellious rocknroll music while ma was out shopping for Kix, ground round, Progressive milk and more at Dasy’s -- was Young Love by Sonny James. Young Love / first love / filled with deep emotion … - Jack Vaughan

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Here it is in ascending order…
Hits from the week of April 6, 1957
According to the survey from local radio station WFOX (860 AM), Milwaukee, Wisconsin
  You can listen to this program
TimeArtistSongAlbum [Format]Misc
Misc – REQ:Request  BED:Music Played While Talking  NEW:New Release  ( ):Label, Year Rec/Rel
5:32Teresa BrewerThe Ricky-Tick SongFor Teenagers in Love [LP][#47] • (Decca, 1957)
5:35Joy LayneAfter School[mp3][#46] • (Mercury, 1957)
5:37Ray ConniffCuddle Up a Little Closer[45][#45] • (Columbia, 1957)
5:39Johnnie RayYes Tonight, JosephineCry [CD][#44] • (Columbia, 1957)
5:44Patience & PrudenceWe Can't Sing Rhythm and Blues[45][#43] • (Liberty, 1957)
5:46Doris DayTwelve O'Clock TonightQue Sera Sera [CD][#42] • (Columbia, 1957)
5:48Gale StormDark MoonThe Very Best of Gale Storm [CD][#41] • (Dot, 1957)
5:53Little RichardThe Girl Can't Help ItThe Georgia Peach [CD][#40] • (Specialty, 1957)
5:55The Four LadsWho Needs YouThe Singles Collection 1952-1962 [CD][#39] • (Columbia, 1957)
6:03Sonny JamesYoung LoveThe Singles Collection 1952-1962 [CD][#38] • (Capitol, 1957)
6:05Johnny DesmondI Just Want You to Want Me[mp33][#37] • (Coral, 1957)
6:08George Hamilton IVOnly One Love[45][#36] • (ABC, 1957)
6:13Bill DoggettRam-Bunk-ShushGreatest Hits [LP][#35] • (King, 1957)
6:14Sonny JamesFirst Date, First Kiss, First LoveThe Singles Collection 1952-1962 [CD][#34] • (Capitol, 1957)
6:17Teresa BrewerI'm Drowning My Sorrows[45][#33] • (Coral, 1957)
6:20Patti PageA Poor Man's RosesThe Golden Memories of Patti Page [LP][#32] • (Mercury, 1957)
6:22Elvis PresleyToo MuchThe King of Rock and Roll: The Complete 50s Masters [CD][#31] • (RCA, 1957)
6:26Sanford Clark9 Lb. Hammer[mp3][#30] • (Dot, 1957)
6:29Jo StaffordWind in the WillowThe Columbia Hits [CD][#29] • (Columbia, 1957)
6:32Mickey & SylviaThere Ought to Be a LawV/A Ace - Golden Age of Am.R&R - The Follow-Up Hits [CD][#28] • (Vik, 1957)
6:34Guy MitchellRock-a-BillyThe Definitive Guy Mitchell [CD][#27] • (Columbia, 1957)
6:37Chuck BerrySchool DayThe Chess Box [CD][#26] • (Chess, 1957)
6:41Four AcesBahama MamaThe Hits Collection 1951-1959 [CD][#25] • (Decca, 1957)
6:44Jimmy Bowen with the Rhythm OrchidsI'm Stickin' with YouV/A Ace - Golden Age of Am. R&R v. 11 [CD][#24] • (Roulette, 1957)
6:46The PlattersI'm SorryAnthology [LP][#23] • (Mercury, 1957)
6:49Bill Haley & His CometsForty Cups of CoffeeThe Absolutely Essential 3 CD Collection [CD][#22] • (Decca, 1957)
6:52Tommy SandsTeenage CrushV/A Ace - Teenage Crush v. 1 [CD][#21] • (Capitol, 1957)
6:57Tab HunterNinety-Nine WaysV/A History of Dot Records v. 2 [CD][#20] • (Dot, 1957)
6:59The HilltoppersMarianneV/A Dot's Cover to Cover [CD][#19 (tie)] • (Dot, 1957)
7:02Terry Gilkyson & the Easy RidersMarianneV/A Eric - Hard to Find 45s on CD v. 3 [CD][#19 (tie)] • (Columbia, 1957)
7:04Frankie LaineLove Is a Golden Ring16 Most Requested Songs [CD][#18] • (Columbia, 1957)
7:06Brenda LeeOne Step at a TimeAnthology [CD][#17] • (Decca, 1957)
7:09Little RichardLucilleThe Georgia Peach [CD][#16] • (Specialty, 1957)
7:14Eddie CochranSittin' in the Balcony[CD][#15 (tie)] • (Liberty, 1957)
7:16Johnny Dee (John D. Loudermilk)Sittin' In The BalconyV/A Ace - Teenage Crush v. 5 [CD][#15 (tie)] • (Colonial, 1957)
7:18Pat BooneI'm Waitin' Just For YouI'll Be Home [CD][#14] • (Dot, 1957)
7:20David RoseCalypso Melody[45][#13] • (M-G-M, 1957)
7:23Fats DominoI'm Walkin'The Imperial Singles v. 3 [CD][#12] • (Imperial, 1957)
7:25Pat BooneWhy Baby WhyI'll Be Home [CD][#11] • (Dot, 1957)
7:29Mickey & SylviaLove Is StrangeV/A RCA - Nipper's Greatest Hits, The 50s v. 2 [CD][#10] • (Groove, 1957)
7:32Dick ContinoPledge of Love[45][#9] • (1957)
7:34Andy WilliamsButterflyV/A The Cadence Records Story [CD][#8] • (Cadence, 1957)
7:36The Dell VikingsCome Go with MeV/A History of Dot Records v. 2 [CD][#7] • (Dot, 1957)
7:39Steve LawrenceParty DollThe Definitive Colleciton [CD][#6 (tie)] • (Coral, 1957)
7:41Buddy KnoxParty DollGreatest Hits [CD][#6 (tie)] • (Roulette, 1957)
7:45Harry BelafonteMama Look at BoobooV/A RCA - Nipper's Greatest Hits, The 50s v. 2 [CD][#5] • (RCA, 1957)
7:49Ferlin HuskyGoneThe Hits Of Ferlin Husky [LP][#4] • (Capitol, 1957)
7:50The GladiolasLittle Darlin'[45][#3 (tie)] • (Excello, 1957)
7:53The DiamondsLittle Darlin'Little Darlin' [CD][#3 (tie)] • (Mercury, 1957)
7:54Elvis PresleyAll Shook UpThe King of Rock and Roll: The Complete 50s Masters [CD][#2] • (RCA, 1957)
7:58Perry ComoRound and Round[45][#1] • (RCA, 1957)

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