1966 was a year of transition musically, epitomized by the Beatles', 'Revolver' LP. Love songs which had dominated their catalog in the early years made way for more substantive material such as, 'Eleanor Rigby' and experimental tunes, not the least of which was, 'Tomorrow Never Knows', the closing track on the disc that set the stage for their landmark, 'Sgt. Pepper' album the following year.

As the Fab Four's musical horizons broadened, the pre-teen set searched for tuneage more in keeping with their acne-driven sensibilities and found their saviors in another quartet, the Monkees. Coupled with the mass exposure of a weekly nationally televised show on NBC, the group burst on to the scene with, 'Last Train to Clarksville'.

Other 'new' acts making noise that year included Paul Revere & the Raiders, the Mamas & Papas, Simon & Garfunkel and the Lovin' Spoonful, each of whom had multiple hits. So new in fact that whoever typed up the list repeatedly mistakenly spelled their name as, 'Spoonfull'.

And in a throwback to the pre-Rock era, ole' Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra was still the Chairman of the Board with a hit of his own with, 'Strangers In The Night' while his daughter, Nancy bridged the Generation Gap with, 'These Boots Are Made For Walking'.

 

Listen to the WPGC year end countdown for 1966:

01/01/67

Part 1 - Jack Alix

10:23

In this brief excerpt, 'JA the DJ' (Good Guy Jack Alix) can be heard counting down the top nine songs of 1966 on January 1st, 1967. Jack had been the night guy at crosstown competitor WEAM in Arlington before coming over the WPGC in 1966.

This aircheck was most likely recorded off the air from the FM (which was 100% simulcast with the AM). At the end of the tape as the AM (daytimer) sign off occurs, you'll hear Jack urge listeners to 'switch over now' to the FM. Years later, DC would become the first FM dominant market in the country, due in no small measure to WPGC's longtime effort to convert cume over to the FM.

Other things to listen for:

- The 'Good Guys' New Year's Greeting (Harv Moore, 'Tiger' Bob Raleigh (Bill Miller), Cousin Duffy, Jack Alix & newsguy, Marv Brooks).

- Jack repeatedly refers to the Top 100 list that listeners can mail for. A copy of said mentioned list can be found below.

- Jingles heard throughout the tape are mainly from PAMS, but some were from a package called 'Funtastic' by Spot Productions of Dallas. Jack's Bat-jingle was from a package called 'Thatman' from the same company.

- The March of Dimes teaser promo, voiced by then night guy Bob Raleigh (Bill Miller), touts PM driver & PD 'Cousin Duffy' walking from Dulles Airport in the Virginia suburbs to downtown DC. The event coincided with a major blizzard but went off anyway.

- Morning man, Harv Moore ('the boy next door') is the voice on the Free State Cycle spot.

- Jack's weekly gig at a local club featured the 'English Setters', a local band of renown in the Metro area. His promo coincided with a New Year's night dance there.

01/01/67

Part 2 - Marv Brooks - 1966 Song Montage

8:05

Heard later that same night, Marv wraps up the countdown with a montage of songs heard throughout the year.

Special thanks to Walt Bailey for the audio above.

 

 

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