In the 1960s and early 1970s, the station sponsored a series of pop/rock concerts known as "Big BAM Shows" featuring acts ranging from Paul Revere and the Raiders, Lou Christie, and The Beach Boys to comedian Pat Paulsen. Canned Heat. In 2020, the median property value in Montgomery, AL was $121,100, and the homeownership rate was 54.1%. Show Duplicate for Mar 22, 2013: Mar 08, 2013 Justin Moore: Garrett Coliseum: So I went out and introduced Bobby Edwards, and he sang songs, and I came back about half an hour later, and I said, 'Now, here's Bobby Edwards!' It was just the coolest thing.". The last concert at Big Bam Fall Spectacular was on September 30, 1966. She remembers her father's words with startling clarity, along with the thrill she experiencedwhile sitting in the front row. For fans, half the fun was trying for a glimpse of the stars at their hotel or coming to and from the coliseum. The Rockin' Gibraltars, Montgomery, 1960s. Office Phone: (334) 244-0961 Office Fax: (334) 279-9563 Rick Peters - President / General Manager Jennifer Pestrichelli - Director of Sales Jay Scott - Operations Manager Shelby Ingram - Promotions Director Shower of Stars audiences were accustomed to seeing a mix of rock, pop and country acts on stage, and the lineup for every show had a pecking order. Pitiful (Otis Redding) sound so much better with real horns.. Fees for the other acts were in the $300-$400 range, he says. Renamed Rock Hull Band in 77 before reclaiming original name in 90. Rinoplastia; Blefaroplastia Wynton M. Blount Cultural Park 52 Theaters Parks By Meowy Many who danced the night away to the Rockin Gibraltars or who nursed a beer and smoked a cigarette listening to Harmony, recall those days with particular fondness and with nostalgia for a time that wont likely return. No mention does anyone else remember that?". They had the Stones in about 1963-64, with Brian Jones before he died. The Big BAM was WBAM, the 50,000-watt AM radio station owned by the Brennan family, whose other Alabama station was Birminghams WVOK. The bands would come in cars -- just plain old cars -- and they'd get their guitars out and walk past you. Sonny Grier is another longtime Montgomery band member who still plays music. If possible, the Brennans liked to present the same lineup of artists in all three cities over a single weekend, offering three shows in Birmingham for the Shower of Stars, one in Montgomery. It's not like now, where they have secret tunnels and drive right into the auditorium.". Any of the Yes shows in Birmingham! The stage was an immense rectangle glutted with scaffolding and hundreds of klieg lights and a sound system on a board that looked like the skyline of New York at night. Whitwam, now in his 47th year playing music, is pleased with the makeup of their current audiences. It was a real happening thing.. They enjoy reminiscing about the stars, the shows and the fans who made it possible. WBAM Big Bam Shows Remembered 3,983 views Aug 25, 2013 A real commercial from the 60's with announcer Bill J Moody .Exciting times as a teen.growing up in Montgomery. ", From David Hester: "Eagles at Von Braun Civic Center in Huntsville in 1975. The other was Municipal Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, where a show had been set for September 15 th. We were waiting at the Holiday Inn, in the bar at the hotel having a beer. From kwe: "The best I've seen are all of the Big Bam shows during the '60s in Montgomery, Garrett Coliseum; Eagles, 1977 in Mobile: Fleetwood Mac, 1977 in Bham CC; Atlanta Rhythm Section, 1978 in Troy Sartain; Heart/America, 1985 in Montgomery CC; Stevie Ray Vaughn/Joe Cocker, 1986 in Bham Oak Mtn; Rolling Stones, 1989 in Bham Legion Field; John Fogerty/Willie Nelson, 2006 in Bham Oak Mtn; Chicago, 2011 in Mtgy MPAC. Their first gig was at the Wetumpka Recreation Center where admission was $1. Show Hide article text (OCR) I said, 'Well, this is Roy's show. ", From cj75: "Grateful Dead, 5/17/77 in Tuscaloosa. I didn't stay afterwards, but my friends who did said that he stood in the lobby as long as anyone was there greeting fans and talking about world hunger. The other name band on the show was the Allman Brothers, they had just released their first album. "Eight Days a Week -- The Touring Years. I only have these pictures of all the concerts we attended from the early 1960's to late 1960's. This one in 1969, was probably the last one I attended. We only heard them. ", From Ken Cole: "I was at Jerry Lee Lewis in Boutwell in the mid '60s when I was a kid. at 3126 Jasmine Road, was built in the early 1960s by William J. (Photo courtesy of the Brennan family). "We started in 1947, and if you think about it, you didn't have very much television in those days," Brennan says in a recent interview. The Brennan familysold itsstake in AM radio a few years later,and hemoved on to WRKK-FM, an album-rock station known as K-99. The Brennan kids were popular during the concert years, as you might expect, and Bartoletti says she, her four siblings and her cousins were fixtures at the WVOK shows, seated in the front row. Jerry Lee Lewis, the Brennans said. Iron Butterfly. "Bill" Brennan, Billy Benns (Jr.) and Mrs. Luella B. Aldridge. Brennan had many encounters with celebritiesover his three decades as a concert promoter, but says he never felt famous -- not even when he was widely regardedas a household name in Birmingham radio. The concertlater gained a secure foothold in Alabamamusic history -- fans here still ooh and aah about it -- but it wasn't a money-making proposition. He remembers the Kove days with Harvest/Harmony fondly, not only for the bands music but the people who came to see them. But he's sure the introduction was brief, wasting no time as Beatlemania raged. She came back a few minutes later and absolutely blasted a massive bongo solo. They had easy backstage access, as well, and would confidently sashay throughout the venue. Members: Mitch Alton (original member), Gregg Pappas, Ham Wilson, Bill Marshall , Dwight Williams, Rick Byrd, Orville Cain, Carl Tesh. I also went to one free concert on the old Quad (Woods Hall) in the late 60s that featured Linda Ronstadt (backed up by the Eagles). The 8:30 p.m. show -- which happened in the windy aftermath of Hurricane Dora-- came courtesy of WAPE-AM, a radio station owned by the Brennan family. His current band, The Soul Crackas, does many of the same soul hits the Rockin Gibraltar performed. Reactions to these picks -- made by entertainment reporters Matt Wake, Lawrence Specker and Mary Colurso -- ranged from praise to anger, support to dismay. WBAM was a powerhouse at 50,000 watts, covering much of Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.From its earliest days, WBAM put on concerts for the Montgomery area. Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis were on the bill, said Whitwam of their first performance at Garrett Coliseum. I've seen so many good shows in Birmingham over the years! The band also played Birmingham in May 1977, according to this story by Madison Underwood. ", From shapeshiftinhmojo: "The Allman Brothers played at the National Guard Armory as both the Almond Joys and as the Allman Brothers in the 1960's as well as Tuscaloosa in the seventies when they were huge. WBAM-FM/98.9 ("Bama Country 98.9") is a country music formatted radio station that serves the Montgomery Metropolitan Area, broadcasting on the FM band at a frequency of 98.9 MHz and licensed to Montgomery, Alabama. go to da moon copy and paste. We got started because of the Beatles, said Jimbo Jones, longtime singer and guitarist with Harmony, one of the most popular bands to come out of Montgomery that played in the mid to late 70s at Keglers Kove, the lounge at Bama Lanes. Thousands of Beatles fans were ready to twist and shout in the Southeast, and the Brennan clan had made it happen. With an amazing backing band, he proceeded to entertain the entire evening. The Fabulous Shades, 1965. Thomas, joined by John Kay (solo after leaving Steppenwolf), the Grass Roots and others. The Animals. Vocalist in Salem, Alabama 1,320 views on fandalism. Saturday, April 8, 1967 Garrett Coliseum, Montgomery, AL Blues Magoos Brian Hyland Lou Christie The Buckinghams The Casinos The Electric Prunes The Royal Guardsmen The Turtles In Montgomery, music was the Big Bam show put on at Garrett Coliseum by WBAM, and there I saw Neil Diamond, the Buckinghams, Tommy James and the Shondells. We enjoyed all the years we spent in radio, said Dan Brennan, who now owns a video production company in Birmingham. Studio Phone Number: (334) 244-9898. Business Office/Studios 4101-A Wall Street Montgomery, AL 36106. It was the most important thing in our lives. We didn't make any money.". He also helped to choose and line up some of the concert talent. The Carpenters. So we had another beer. By the summer of 1975 hed joined singer and keyboardist Eddie Wohlford and drummer Tommy Beavers to become part of Harvest, the precursor to the group Harmony at the Kove that spawned two major talents who made it big nationally: Tommy Shaw and Beth Nielsen Chapman. Once solo and once with a band. Id never seen anybody get an audience so excited, Dan Brennan remembered. The Big Bam shows in Montgomery were on my list," said Jack Boles. Bobby Darin. We get young people, folks our age, and older folks, he said proudly. "We never had a flop," Brennan says, "but we had some shows that were a little bit bigger than others. Yet there was also a gentler side of the city that is rarely revealed within the pages of history texts. View the Full Page. The chips were glued into Dianes scrap book between photos of the Beatles. He and his wife live north of Prattville in a 1930s shack, have three grown children and are expecting their first grandchild. He was replaced by Johnny Townsend from Tuscaloosa, who was living with Duane and Gregg Allman in LA. "One of my favorites was RUSH 1981 Mobile Municipal Auditorium," said tgfmiss. From au92536: "June Jam in Fort Payne - I know it's country BUT. ", From GmanGent: "Alice Cooper Von Braun in 1974's Welcome to my Nightmare Tourone of the most successful tours financially up until that time. Dan Brennan, center, backstage at the Shower of Stars with with Paul Revere & the Raiders. Big BAM Shows of the late 1960s and early 1970s featured all the biggest artists of the day, including Paul Revere and the Raiders, Lou Christie, Iron Butterfly, The Carpenters, The Monkees (as a group and individually), Tommy Joyce and Bobby Heart, The Grass Roots, and many more. I have such fond memories of coming to Alabama. It gave them a voice. Gary Puckett & the Union Gap. "This was a daytime concert that seemed like a war zone with fireworks flying everywhere. snapchat chat bitmoji peeking. Carl Perkins. Alicia McLeod - Vocals. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement, Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (each updated 1/26/2023). He never asked forautographs. BB King's penultimate show at the Alabama (sitting but still playing and not drifting into non sequitur land).
