Chicagoland at 45 RPM

The greater Chicagoland area of the Midwest—Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Iowa—well represented the profuse pop rock playlist of the mid–1960s. This prolific area produced a significant soundtrack from late 1965 into 1972 that reverberated across the country. The vibrant suburban scene produced nearly 40 singles that reached the record charts locally and regionally, with several of the 45s placing on the national listings. Some of the Chicagoland hits include “Kind of a Drag,” “Vehicle,” “Bend Me, Shape Me,” and “Gloria,” recorded by the Buckinghams, Ides of March, American Breed, and Shadows of Knight.
This book, a geomusicultural chronicle, documents a multitude of Chicagoland bands and their music. They sounded across neighborhoods, thriving teen clubs, television dance and variety shows, renowned recording studios, local independent and major record labels—and through the pervasive AM airwaves of two 50,000-watt downtown radio stations, WLS and WCFL, featuring lineups of dynamic disc jockeys. This period piece portrays a momentous mark within “that toddlin’ town’s” rich music heritage.

George Plasketes is a professor of media studies in the School of Communication & Journalism at Auburn University in Alabama. His published writings include six books, essays, journal articles and book chapters on a variety of music, media and cultural topics.

George Plasketes
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 262
Bibliographic Info: 8 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2024
pISBN: 978-1-4766-6982-3
eISBN: 978-1-4766-5372-3
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments and Appreciation: A Chicagoland Comeback vii

Prelude—Make It in the Midwest: Once Upon a Time in Chicagoland 1

Introduction—45 RPM (Revolutions Per Midwest): A Regional Rotation and Prolific Pop Rock Garage Pocket 13

1. AM Radio Reformation: WLS, Middle America’s Bright New Sound 31

2. Breakthrough and Colonization 55

3. Oh Yeah ’66: From “Gloria” to Glorious Train Wreck 74

4. It’s Dunwich Man 93

5. Hey Baby, They’re Playing Our Songs: The Buckinghams’ Smashing ’67 132

6. It’s a Cryan’ Shame 153

7. Ba Da Ba Ba Dah: Brass and the Bungalows of Berwyn 182

8. Cornerstone Coda: In One Ear and Gone Tomorrow 206

Selected and Annotated Discography: The Sounds of Mid–1960s Chicagoland 215

Chapter Notes 225

Bibliography 233

Index 237