Posted by chicagomedia.org on July 24, 2008 at 10:52:56:
Clark Weber's Rock and Roll Radio
1955 to 1975: The Fun Years
In the days when the Beatles, The Beach Boys and the Monkees dominated the radio, Chicago teens spent every waking moment listening to WLS-AM.
They waited every week to discover the line up on the WLS Silver Dollar Survey, Chicago's own version of the Billboard's top songs. WLS' deejays were as popular as the performers whose records they played.
One of the era's top jocks was Clark Weber, who's written a memoir chronicling rock and roll's golden age: Clark Weber' Rock and Roll Radio: 1955 to 1975 The Fun Years. The book's forward is written by Neil Sedaka, one of the biggest singer-songwriters of the era. A CD is included with the book; it's full of photos and features the WLS jingles and the voices of WLS deejays from the '60s.
Here's what Clark has to say about it: "How many "ifs" have you had in your life? What if I could take you back to when you were in your teens or early twenties and didn't have a care in the world? What if I could tell you stories about your music and the people who made it that you've never heard before?
"How a teenager at a Brother Rice High School sock hop left her mark in a very unusual place on a member of Paul Revere and The Raiders! Or, the story of Larry Lujack and how a crazed pilot (me!) left him ashen white and speechless while high over Chicago! Or, a naughty girl named "Gloria" and what she did in her bedroom that helped her become rich and famous! And, last, but not least how the Monkees rode the "Last Train to Clarksville" and almost made a monkey out of themselves!"
"I'm Mother Weber's Oldest Son Clark. I was very much a part of your rock and roll musical scene in the '50s, '60s and '70s. As the Program Director and disc jockey at WLS radio in Chicago, I chose the music that was played on that 50,000 watt rock and roll giant. My new book is complete with dozens of pictures and a special CD that returns you to those fun years. Come with me and we'll go back in time to when rock and roll was clean and the Chicago River was dirty. I can guarantee you that you'll love the trip! "
The book, published by Chicago Books Press, will be available in soft cover ($29.50) and hard cover ($37.50) at Barnes and Noble, Borders as well as independent bookstores around the city and suburbs. In addition, it will be available at Amazon.com, bn.com and borderstores.com, and through the publisher's website at www.chicagosbooks.com.
You can meet Clark Weber at book signings on:
* Thursday, August 7, 7:30 pm, Barnes and Noble-Old Orchard, Skokie
* Saturday, August 9, 1-3 pm, Frugal Muse Books, Darien
* Thursday, August 14, 12:30 pm, Barnes and Noble-DePaul, State and Jackson
* Saturday, August 23, 2-3 pm, Borders-Oak Park.
Other signings will take place throughout September and October around the city and suburbs. For more information, visit www.chicagosbooks.com.
(ABC7)