Listen people, for that bass line

Does anybody on this planet remember who played bass for Herman's Hermits?

Of course!  It was Karl Green, who was 17 years old when the band joined the British Invasion in 1964 after charting with the Gerry Goffin-Carole King song "I'm Into Something Good."

Green never became a household name because he was, after all, a bass player in a band built around leader singer Peter Noone.  Green also provided backup vocals and dabbled in song writing for HH, and we feel his contributions should be noted on this, his 63rd birthday.

Herman's Hermits often draw unfair comparisons to the Monkees, who were a different animal indeed.  Yes, there was that regrettable song about a former King of England -- some of their hits did seem directed at an audience younger than the band members (Noone was only 15 when they hit.)  We're certainly not here to defend "No Milk Today" or "Dandy."

Still, we see no need to kick dirt on them now. They sold more than 60 million records and struck gold with 14 singles and 7 albums. The next time you hear one of their songs at least listen long enough to pick up the bass in the background. Because that's our birthday boy, Karl Green!

Kenny Burrell (1931): Jazz guitarist

Played with Dizzy Gillespie and Oscar Peterson

John West (1939): Keyboards, Gary Lewis and the Playboys
Count Me In, Sure Gonna Miss Her, Everybody Loves a Clown

Gary Lewis (1945): Singer/band leader
This Diamond Ring, Save Your Heart For Me, She's Just My Style

Bob Welch (1946): Guitar, Fleetwood Mac
Solo: Sentimental Lady

Karl Green (1947): Guitar/harmonica, Herman's Hermits
I’m Into Something Good, Mrs. Brown You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter, Listen People

Bill Berry (1958): Drums, R.E.M.
Everybody Hurts, Man on the Moon, Can't Get There From Here

You've come a long way, baby

It's hard to forgive Paul Anka for "(You're) Having My Baby," but he didn't deserve the flak he took from feminist groups over the song.  There are legitimate causes, and there are let's-get-our-panties-in-a-knot-over-nothing stands.

This clearly was the latter.

(Say, did you know that Anka,  Buddy Guy, David Sanborn and Marc Bolan of T-Rex are all birthday boys today?  Even more incredible: It's also the birthday of feminist activist Eleanor Smeal.  What sweet irony.)

We can't blame Anka for occasionally re-inventing himself through the years, which allowed him to score hits in three different decades. He has had three chart-toppers, and we're on board for the first two: "Diana" in 1957 and "Lonely Boy" in 1959.  But by the time "(You're) Having My Baby'' came along in 1974 -- giving Anka the record for the longest gap between No. 1s -- we were on to other things.

A glance at the top songs of 1974 confirms our suspicions: It was a crappy year for music. Here is the Billboard Top 10:

1. The Way We Were, Barbra Streisand
2. Seasons In The Sun, Terry Jacks
3. Love's Theme, Love Unlimited Orchestra
4. Come and Get Your Love, Redbone
5. Dancing Machine, Jackson 5
6. The Loco-Motion, Grand Funk Railroad
7. T.S.O.P. (The Sound of Philadelphia), MFSB
8. The Streak, Ray Stevens
9. Bennie and the Jets, Elton John
10. One Hell of a Woman, Mac Davis

"(You're) Having My Baby" finished No. 28 for the year, but spent three weeks at No. 1 beginning on Aug. 24.  When you add it all up -- and we need to mention Anka wrote Johnny Carson's Tonight Show theme song -- you have to give the man his props. And so we do, on his 69th birthday.

Gershwin Award concert on PBS

Those of you who receive alerts when we post at the Sanctuary need to spring into action. Wish we had known about this sooner: We're watching a broadcast of the Gershwin Award concert at the White House right now and hope you can still catch a bit of it.

Paul McCartney Gershwin Award Concert Airs On PBS Tonight « 104.3 WOMC

If you missed it, check the PBS broadcast schedule in your area for repeats.

Jack White, Elvis Costello, the Jonas Brothers, Emmylou Harris, Herbie Hancock and others joined Paul McCartney at President Obama's pad. Dave Grohl just tore it up with "Band on the Run."

Really fabulous stuff.

Our favorite squeeze

You know what they say about marijuana leading to more dangerous drugs? Well, it happened to Frank Yankovic, America's Polka King.  Only it wasn't pot, heavens no!  Young Frankie got hooked on something far more dangerous than the evil weed: He fell into the clutches of the button box.

And before you could belt out the first verse of  "Who Stole the Keeshka" he was sneaking off to the garage to experiment with a piano accordian.You see, his father didn't approve of the accordian, believing Frank would never make a living playing the contraption.  Thirty million records later, you could say the son proved his old man wrong.

What better artist to front today's Birthday Band than Frank Yankovic, who has kept our feet stomping for years to standards like "Just Because," "Blue Skirt Waltz" and everyone's favorite, "The Beer Barrel Polka."

Miller Brewing has come up with the Vortex Bottle, presumably to help us drain our Lites.  But that's hardly necessary as long as Frankie's playing on the juke box. Na zdravje!

Frank Yankovic (1915-1998): Bandleader/accordian
Just Because, Blue Skirt Waltz, Beer Barrel Polka

George Cummings (1938): Guitar, Dr. Hook
Sylvia’s Mother, The Cover of Rolling Stone, Sexy Eyes

Rick Wright (1943-2008): Keyboards, Pink Floyd
Dark Side of the Moon album

Peter Doyle (1949): Singer, New Seekers
Never Ending Song of Love, I’d Like to Teach the World to Sing

Simon Kirke (1949): Drums, Free/Bad Company
All Right Now, Ready for Love, Feel Like Makin’ Love

The girl could bring it

Another birthday, another bridge to cross -- or jump from:  Bobbie Gentry turns 65 today.  Hard to believe it has been 43 years since "Ode to Billie Joe" rocketed to the top of the music charts.

It's just the sort of song we might have expected from a kid growing up in Chicksaw County, Mississippi. But who could have predicted the enduring popularity of the Southern Gothic tale or the never-ending interpretions and conspiracy theories regarding Billie Joe's leap off the Tallahatchie Bridge. 

It all began, we've learned, after little Roberta Lee Streeter's grandma traded one of the family cows for a piano, enabling the young'un to write her first song "My Dog Sergeant is a Good Dog." 

The girl who became Bobbie Gentry retired from performing more than 20 years ago, and we'd be fooling you if we didn't say we miss her. This is especially true every time we hear her version of  "I'll Never Fall in Love Again," which absolutely smokes.

For kicks and giggles, here is the 1967 Billboard Year End Chart:

1. To Sir With Love, Lulu
2. The Letter, Box Tops
3. Ode to Billie Joe, Bobbie Gentry
4. Windy, Association
5. I'm a Believer, Monkees
6. Light My Fire, Doors
7. Somethin' Stupid, Nancy Sinatra & Frank Sinatra
8. Happy Together, Turtles
9. Groovin', Young Rascals
10. Can't Take My Eyes Off You, Frankie Valli

He's still a gas, gas, gas

We were in danger of missing a big celebration today until we heard someone shout ... Happy 67th, Mick!

When Paul McCartney was your age (just last year) he was performing "Get Back" from the roof of the Ed Sullivan Theater so we thought we'd ask: Have you done anything crazy like that lately?  We're guessing you probably have Sir Paul beat on the crazy front.  No matter.

Ageless rockers like you help us stay young and we are eternally grateful. One day it may become a parody, but right now we're rockin' right there beside you.  The only difference is you're still fronting one of the greatest rock bands in the history of the world and we're just trying to keep our knees from buckling.

Nothing but Stones goes in the player today because Jumpin' Jack Flash is gas, gas, gas!

Music to our ears

Eight of the sweetest words we like to hear:

Get up! Get Up! Get outta here! Gone!

Bob Uecker's signature home run call is a beautiful thing, and we hope to hear it again many times now that the Milwaukee Brewers radio announcer is back in the booth and the boys are back in town for a homestand.

We were stunned by a Journal-Sentinel online poll showing that only 68 percent of 2,700 respondents voted for Ueck's return. The others say he should just kick back and relax.  A nice sentiment, but the Brewers are nine games under .500. We need him back now for comic relief!

Baseball hasn't been the same here since Uecker took a break for heart surgery back in April.  The Milwaukee native (though he has said he was actually born in Illinois during an oleo run his father and pregnant mother were making) is often the main reason to tune into Brewers broadcasts.

Here's hoping things won't be as bad on the field as they were one night a few years back when Uecker, with the Crew trailing 8-0 in the bottom of the eighth inning, cracked: "Well, just a couple of slammers and the Brewers are right back in this one."

With Uecker it's not so much whether you win or lose but how you call the game.  Welcome back, Mr. Baseball.