"WFIL AM,""Famous 56," "Philly Gold," "WFIL Dynamite," are all synonymous with one of the hottest radio stations in a major market city during the time when AM radio was king, FM was in its infancy and "Radio Personalities" were known as DJs or "Jocks." That city was Philadelphia, PA and the station; none other than WFIL 56 AM.
"FIL" as it was known, wasn't always at the top of the tower so to speak; the station's ratings were abysmal and the format had the station firmly entrenched in last place among terrestrial radio outlets in the Philly market. The story goes that media mogul Walter Annenberg, who owned the station, the local TV station and both major city newspapers, was approached at a party and told how poor the programming was at WFIL. This apparently agitated the station king pin so much that he ordered sweeping changes and when those changes failed; he fired all of his decision makers except for three, hired a consultant, switched the format to rock and the ascent up the charts began.
Jim O'Brien, Dan Donovan and Glen Barton became household names and if you're over the age of 50, the music from the station's "Golden Years" may still evoke memories; perhaps like none other can or ever will.Thanks to a group of South Jersey musicians; those years along with the magic are being recreated as they've put together a show focusing on the music, the jingles, the history and even a classic commercial or two that's guaranteed to transport those in attendance to a different time and place.
"I've had the idea for quite some time," says drummer and originator Chuck Calcese. "I wanted to assemble a band to pay tribute, in my opinion, to the greatest time in music history; 1966-1974. The problem was; how many other people shared my same sentiment?" So Chuck began asking around and in his words found people's reactions to be "Overwhelmingly positive."
Buoyed by this response, he next set out to assemble a supporting cast; one which shared his verve for the project. "My next step was finding a band who shared the same passion as me because I knew this was going to be a lot of work. I ran the idea past my current band mate Frank Clayton and he suggested that we create more of a show atmosphere. A DJ on stage, announcing songs, playing jingles, etc; with these two ideas I knew we had a winner."
Bass player Clayton became a time traveler as he immediately recalled memories from his youth and instantly fell in love with the idea. "It was April of 2015 when Chuck reached out to me as I was walking into theBeachcomber Bar in Seaside; I listened intently as he talked about the music of the times. I flashed back to my times at the Yardville Swim Club when I was a kid listening to WFIL on the AM radio that they had there. I remember having my own transistor radio and that particular electronic smell that they all had. The more Chuck talked about the concept, I couldn't help but think about doing something bigger than just being another bar band playing oldies; this had to have a show aspect to it. I started researching WFIL on the internet and I found so many sound tracks on You Tube of the DJs of the time and this gave me the idea of recreating a radio show experience where the songs would be introduced through the DJ talking over them and the outros just like a real radio broadcast with commercials and station identifications as well."
Like Calcese, Clayton's next thought was on how to assemble the right cast of characters. "We had the concept, now we needed the players," said Frank. "Chuck and I reached out to our other band mate, keyboard player Vince Civale and the three of us became the core of the WFIL band. The music was diverse though and we needed musicians who were also diverse." That diversity first manifested itself in the form of Rachel Rocco; a female vocalist who Clayton has a working relationship with. "I knew we needed a female vocal, it was apparent from day one; the music called for it. I've been working with Rachel who is such a great vocalist in other projects so I called her and asked if she'd be interested. Fortunately for us she accepted and to her credit and talent she's learned a lot of songs that she had never even heard before. "My second thought was that we needed a utility player; one who could play a couple of instruments and was able to play a variety of styles. My first thought for the position was Bud Belviso. I've seen Bud perform with Tom Reock at the Kelsey Theater and was always very impressed with his ability to play both lead guitar and keyboards as well as sing; Bud and I had also worked on a past project together and I knew that he would be a great fit. We also needed a rhythm guitarist and after struggling to find a good fit; Chuck recommended Steve Guarino who was more than willing to join the group. The last piece of the band was the DJ personality; my first and only call was to Danny Coleman. Danny has emceed many shows and tributes and is the host of "Rock On Radio" and along with his percussion ability and his gift of gab; the band was set."
Now that the music makers were in place, the music itself and the show had to to be chosen and crafted. In an effort to see what worked and what didn't, Clayton and the band began building a song catalog of classics; some forgotten ("To Sir With Love") and some not so much ("Summer In The City"). "We created a list of songs," says Clayton, "A list and then we started banging away at them and developing the show aspect. I don't think any of us anticipated how complicated it would become; we use spread sheets to keep track of who is playing what instrument, where and when. It became more involved once we added the proper harmonies, station breaks, commercials and the talk ups before and after the songs. We actually record and review every rehearsal so as to help with scripting the show."
"So our journey started about six months ago in August of 2015," stated Calcese. The first test comes this Saturday January 30 at the Ivy Tavern in Hamilton, NJ. We've put together some good sounds and have some cool ideas to enhance the show; stay tuned for the reviews!"
Adding to the cast is one of the area's best, Christopher "Stoney" Moore handling the lighting and opening act Honey Spot Blvd's Rusty DiPasquale carrying the load of sound man. Both men play a vital role in the success of the show as their timing must be spot on given the intricacies of the script.
"I always wanted to be part of a show where there was a sitting audience," explained Clayton. "This show is a dry run to see where we stand and where we need to fix and take things next. Ultimately we'd like to present it in a theater or a dinner/theater environment with a grand plan of more media and facts and a bigger presentation."
The show kicks off at 10 p.m. at the Ivy Tavern located at 3108 South Broad Street in Hamilton. Local favorites Honey Spot Blvd. will get the crowd revved up and then the WFIL Band takes the stage at approximately 10:45 p.m. The show admission is free and promises to be a unique evening of entertainment.
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