Amazon.com is previewing The Beach Boys upcoming album on its website. Clips from all 12 cuts of That’s Why God Made the Radio were posted yesterday on Amazon’s

CLICK link to LISTEN

Beach Boys – That’s Why God Made The Radio

The songs:

·”Think About the Days”

·”That’s Why God Made the Radio”

·”Isn’t It Time”

·”Spring Vacation”

·”The Private Life of Bill and Sue”

·”Beaches in Mind”

·”Shelter”

·”Daybreak Over the Ocean”

·”Strange World”

·”From There to Back Again”

·”Pacific Coast Highway”

·”Summer’s Gone”

Take a look here: http://www.aday.org/

Photograph on May 15th!

You have one day to join thousands around the world in using the power of photography to create, share and compare perspectives on daily life! Don’t miss it! You can upload your images until May 22nd.

Amy was part of AM580 years ago and we’ve watched her dance her way around the world singing and entertaining in some tremendous venues. So, we’re happy to announce “Shout It Out” -  her new EP available on iTunes.

Sample some of the tracks here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/amy-rivard/id367139966

From the smooth ballad “You’re The One” to a kickin’ “I Pray For You” and the strong title track, you’ll be amazed by the power in her voice.

Good luck Amy – couldn’t happen to a nicer person.

Visit Amy’s website at www.amyrivard.com

Later on, Love and Wilson chatted with Fallon, discussing the band’s legacy, harmonies, Elvis Presley, and their forthcoming reunion LP, That’s Why God Made the Radio. To cap off the night, Love and Wilson rejoined the band for a performance of the new album’s titular track and the Pet Sounds opening hit “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”.

Check it out on Michael Roffmans’s blog:

http://consequenceofsound.net/2012/05/video-the-beach-boys-surf-into-fallon/

A TRUE STORY, EVERY WORD  – by Burton Cummings

In 1969, an unusual set of circumstances allowed me to spend a whole night with Jim Morrison. Every word of this story is true, I swear on my Grandmother’s grave. The Guess Who flew to Los Angeles for the very first time (at least since I had joined the band). I HAD NEVER SET FOOT ON CALIFORNIA SOIL IN MY LIFE BEFORE THIS PARTICULAR NIGHT. We landed around eight in the evening, and by the time we had checked into our hotel it was about nine thirty. We were staying in Hollywood on Sunset Blvd. at a place called the Hallmark House. It’s a Travelodge these days. There I was in Los Angeles, right on Sunset Boulevard, where Dino’s and the Whiskey stood. Randy, Jim, and Gary were content to stay in their rooms but I just took off walking…I knew that Dino’s and the Whiskey were both on Sunset and that if I kept walking long enough I was bound to see them. I walked miles up Sunset…from just west of Highland to the Whiskey. When I first saw Dino’s it seemed surreal to me…how many times had I watched 77 Sunset Strip and seen Kookie Byrnes park the cars there in all those exterior shots ? I continued West on Sunset and eventually approached the Whiskey. When I first stared up at it, I had a semi religious experience right there on the sidewalk. This place was a mecca of the rock music world. It had been home and training ground to the Byrds, The Buffalo Springfield, and the Doors. Johnny Rivers had done those great live versions of Memphis and Maybelline here. I stared wide-eyed for quite a while until I eventually regained enough composure to venture inside. It was now some time after midnight…I had been in California for a total of less than four hours. As I stood inside and looked around, I noticed a rather drunk Eric Burdon at a table in the corner. The band seemed to have finished temporarily, whoever they were, and there was some sort of mass exodus going on. Many people were leaving and they all seemed to have a common destination in mind. I stayed at the Whiskey for about half an hour, gulping in the vibes and trying to imagine all the historic moments in pop music that had occurred within its walls. Then, replete with experience, I went outside onto Sunset to hail a cab back to the Hallmark House in Hollywood. It was 1969…I was 21.
I managed to get a cab rather quickly right outside the front door and as soon as my ass hit the back seat the driver said “So…I guess you’re going to the party too, huh…?” Reacting quickly I nodded in the affirmative. The driver went down Sunset about a block and a half and suddenly made a turn up into the hills above Hollywood. I was on my way to some house in Los Angeles where I didn’t personally know a living soul . As we twisted and turned up the winding streets of the hills, I started to panic. I came clean with the driver and told him that I had no idea where he was taking me, much less who was giving or attending the party he was talking about. He told me that I was his third fare there in the last hour. I was now dying with curiosity. I told the driver that if he would take me to the party, I would pay his full fare up to that point and try to get in the door. I asked him kindly to wait and see if I got in. He said he would wait and see whether I did, and if I was turned away, he would take me back to the Hallmark House and nobody would be much the worse for the experience.
We pulled up to the gate of one of those houses that looks like the one the Beverly Hillbillies lived in…the gate was wide open and it sounded as if all Hell was breaking loose inside the house. I handed the driver twenty bucks and walked up to the huge door and rang the bell. Somebody very drunk opened the door and shrieked “Come on in” with a thick British accent. I was now inside some mansion in the hills with a real shaker going on, STILL only having been in California for about four hours. There was loud music…there were a lot of people, all of whom were blitzed on various things…naked people were in the pool and lots of smoking, drinking, and snorting was going on…I had no fucking idea what I was doing there, so I sauntered into the kitchen and grabbed myself an ice cold Budweiser.
I walked back out into the living room and spied a cutoff upright piano. No one was sitting at it, so I graced the piano stool and started fingering the keys while surveying the room and the guests. No one could hear me playing with all the noise, so momentarily I guess I just faded right in to my surroundings. I had been there about twenty minutes when a fairly drunk guy with long hair stumbled in, a girl on each arm kind of holding him up to steady him. Upon first glance he looked familiar …then it hit me…it was Jim Morrison. Ladies and gentlemen, it was 1969, I was 21, I had first set foot on California soil less than four hours previously, and here I was in some mansion in the Hollywood hills in the same room with Jim Morrison. No one seemed to notice him…well, maybe they did, but just didn’t care. I sure noticed him. The whole night had become surreal at that point, and unbeknownst to me, it was just beginning.
Jimbo had recently faced the charges of showing his penis on stage in Florida, and many people thought the Doors might just be on a final downward spiral. They hadn’t played live for a while due to all the negative publicity and craziness that seemed to surround them. When I saw him swill down the remaining beer in his can and go to the kitchen for more, I got up and followed him. In the kitchen, after we’d both gotten a new beer, I went up and asked him “So, how’s the trouble…how’s the shit, man…?” He looked at me and said “Oh, it’ll all be ok…” not volunteering much information or willingness to talk. Not wanting to get in his face in any f***ing way, I left the kitchen with my new beer and went back over and sat down on the piano bench. I had talked to Jim Morrison. Now I could die happily, although I already knew that nobody in the world would ever believe me.
Being somewhat overwhelmed by the evening’s events, I just took a long cold swill of beer and began playing the piano softly. About two minutes later a guy sat down on the bench to my right and started doodling along on one of the higher registers of the keys. It was Jim. We actually “played piano together” for a few minutes and to this day I have no idea what I was thinking during that period of time…perhaps even sodium pentathol could never retrieve those minutes from my memory…I seem to have blanked permanently with regards to our “duet”. But I swear by all that’s Holy, it really happened and I’m recalling it as best I can.
Jim got up suddenly. He was very drunk and almost fell over when he reached his feet. He said to the two girls “Let’s go…gimme my keys…” For reasons still unknown to myself, I stood up and said “Hey man, you shouldn’t be driving…let me drive you where you’re going…just tell me where to take you, and when we get there I’ll hop out and get a cab or a bus.” One of the girls handed Jim his keys and he promptly handed them to me. Off we went. We piled into Jim’s GTO, he and the two girls in the back seat and me at the wheel. I had touched California soil for the first time in my life at about 8:45 pm that night…it was now about 1:45 am and I was driving Jim Morrison around in his GTO through the hills and streets of Los Angeles.
There were about forty cold beers in the trunk and one of the girls had brought about a dozen of them into the back seat when we all loaded in. Jim drank fast. The girls barely drank anything. Every so often he’d say “Some for the driver…some for the driver…” whereupon one of the girls would hand me a cold beer…I think they were Millers but I couldn’t swear to it…I think Jim’s GTO was silver with a black roof, but it’s decades ago and some details have faded. I kept hearing “Go left here…go right here…just go straight for now” and other directions from the back seat.
I drove the three of them around until after sunup. During those hours I spoke very little to the back seat. I was more than content to listen. I never once mentioned that I was a musician, much less “the biggest Morrison fanatic in North America”. After all…how many million other people thought the same thing, and how many f***ing times had Jim heard that already…? He spoke about physics, existentialism, Magritte, the blues, and Edgar Allan Poe among other things that night. Surreal, surreal, surreal.
I think it was about eight in the morning when they decided one of the girls should drive and I should be cut loose from the herd. I never argued over the decision…I had already lived a personal dream, and wanted to do absolutely nothing to taint it. They dropped me off right where the Sherman Oaks Galleria now stands and took off due west on Ventura Blvd. A series of busses and a cab got me back to my motel by about ten thirty in the morning. I had no idea of the geography of LA, but I managed to get back before any pressing Guess Who business that day. I was rooming with Jim Kale that trip and when I came in that morning, I told him how I had spent my first night ever in California…I don’t think he ever believed a word of it…I don’t think Randy or Gary did either…
Less than eighteen months later, Jim Morrison was dead.

• Mark Levon Helm was born in Elaine, Arkansas in 1940 and grew up listening to country and Delta Blues.
• He joined Ronnie Hawkins in The Hawks in 1957.
• The Band backed Bob Dylan before striking out on their own in 1968 with Music From Big Pink.
• Helm starred in such movies as Coal Miner’s Daughter and The Right Stuff.
• He was a member of Ringo Starr‘s first All-Starr Band in 1989 and sadly the fourth member of that line-up to pass away following Rick Danko, Billy Preston and Clarence Clemons.
• Cancer treatments kept him from performing between 1996 and 2004, but since that time he’d experienced a career renaissance and even won three Grammys since 2008.
• He leaves behind his wife Sandy and daughter Amy.

On Tuesday, Helm’s daughter Amy and wife Sandy posted the following on his website: “Thank you fans and music lovers who have made his life so filled with joy and celebration… He has loved nothing more than to play, to fill the room up with music, lay down the back beat, and make the people dance! He did it every time he took the stage… We appreciate all the love and support and concern.”

Helm, the voice of such Band classics as “The Weight,” “Up on Cripple Creek” and “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down,” has had numerous health issues since being diagnosed with throat cancer in 1996.

The only American member of The Band — the other four were Canadian — Mark Levon Helm was born in Elaine, Arkansas on May 26th, 1940 and grew up to the sounds of the Grand Ole Opry and Sonny Boy Williamson and His King Biscuit Entertainers on the radio. Steeped in the Delta Blues, Levon got his first guitar at age nine and took up the drums at 14. When he was 12, he and his sister Linda would perform as Levon and Linda, winning numerous talent contests along the Arkansas 4-H Club circuit.

In 1957 Levon met Ronnie Hawkins and joined his band, The Hawks, as its drummer. Hawkins eventually recruited Robbie Robertson, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel and Rick Danko, laying the foundation for one of the era’s best groups. In the mid-’60s The Hawks left Hawkins and hooked up with Bob Dylan to become his first electric band, but Levon couldn’t take the booing from the folk purists who objected to Dylan going electric. and he left shortly there afterwards.

The Band, as they would come to be known, eventually joined Dylan in Woodstock, New York, and Levon made the trip there in 1967. In 1968 they recorded and released their debut album, Music From Big Pink, and followed that up with six studio albums before calling it quits in 1976 with an all-star concert in San Francisco that was dubbed The Last Waltz.

Following the demise of The Band, Levon formed his own group, The RCO All-Stars, in 1977; played with other artists; and went into acting, picking up roles in such notable films as Coal Miner’s Daughter and The Right Stuff before re-forming The Band, minus Robertson, in 1983. Richard Manuel took his own life on the road in 1986, but The Band soldiered on and off until the death of Rick Danko in 1999. Levon was also in Ringo Starr‘s first All-Starr Band in 1989 along with Danko.

In 1996 Levon was diagnosed with throat cancer and underwent 28 radiation treatments before being able to sing again in 2004. Since that time he’d had a renaissance — performing with his daughter Amy, staging his Midnight Ramble shows at his home studio in Woodstock, New York, narrating TV shows and movies, and winning three Grammy Awards since 2008.

The music industry pays tribute:

Garth Hudson, his bandmate in The Band:

“I am terribly sad. Thank you for 50 years of friendship and music. Memories that live on with us. No more sorrows, no more troubles, no more pain. He went peacefully to that beautiful marvelous wonderful place. He was Buddy Rich‘s favorite rock drummer… and my friend. Levon, I’m proud of you.”

Robbie Robertson:

“Last week I was shocked and so saddened to hear that my old band mate, Levon, was in the final stages of his battle with cancer. It hit me really hard because I thought he had beaten throat cancer and had no idea that he was this ill. I spoke with his family and made arrangements to go and see him.

On Sunday I went to New York and visited him in the hospital. I sat with Levon for a good while, and thought of the incredible and beautiful times we had together. It was heartwarming to be greeted by his lovely daughter Amy, whom I have known since she was born. Amy’s mother, Libby Titus, and her husband, [Steely Dan's] Donald Fagen, were so kind to help walk me through this terrible time of sadness. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Sandy. Levon is one of the most extraordinary talented people I’ve ever known and very much like an older brother to me. I am so grateful I got to see him one last time and will miss him and love him forever.”

Bob Dylan:

“He was my bosom buddy friend to the end, one of the last true great spirits of my or any other generation.”

Elton John (to EW.com):

“When I heard The Band’s Music from Big Pink, their music changed my life. And Levon was a big part of that band. Nigel Olson [sic], my drummer, will tell you that every drummer that heard him was influenced by him. He was the greatest drummer and a wonderful singer and just a part of my life that was magical. They once flew down to see me in Philadelphia and I couldn’t believe it. They were one of the greatest bands of all time. They really changed the face of music when their records came out. I had no idea he was sick so I’m very dismayed and shocked that he died so quickly. But now my son [Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John] has his name.” 

Bernie Taupin (excerpted from an eight paragraph reminiscence on his website):

“The first time I heard Levon Helm’s voice was in a small record shop on Berwick Street in Soho London sometime around 1969. What was it like? Paul on the road to Damascus!…A voice that seemed as it was birthed from the land from which he sprung. Rich as Arkansas soil and raw as a plug of tobacco, gnarly as knotted pine and so expressive it seemed like he was chewing on the words before they left his mouth. Now he’s gone and our anemic musical horizon has one less icon to cling to and one more legacy to embrace.”

Loretta Lynn, whose father Levon portrayed in the film Coal Miner’s Daughter:

“Levon Helm will always hold a special place in my heart. He was as great of an actor as a musician. For me watching him play the role of my daddy in Coal Miner’s Daughter is a memory I will always treasure.”

Ronnie Hawkins, who gave Levon his start in The Hawks:

“Levon was my right arm, my left arm and both of my legs. He got into my band in 1957… Levon was the best rhythm man I’ve ever seen. He had no schooling in music, but he already had a reputation by the time he started with me. He was a jokester, too. He laughed at everything. And it wasn’t long before he was running the band.”

Joe Perry of Aerosmith (via Tweet): 

“Sad bout Levon, Dick Clark. Both have huge places in my musical hist. tho came from dif ends of music. black days when legends pass.”

Mickey Hart:

“We just lost an original… Now Jerry [Garcia] has a great rhythm section…

Levon was an amazing rhythm master…Rollin’ and tumblin’, his backbeat bringing home the sweetest groove this side of Congo Square. And the grit in his voice…magnetic. Bon voyage Levon.”

Kris Kristofferson:

“Levon is one of the best people I’ve known in my life – both as an artist and as a human being. He’s my favorite singer and drummer of all time. God bless him, Sandy and Amy, it will be a sadder world without him.”

Tommy Shaw of Styx:

“That down home storyteller vocal style and laid back feel of his on the drums is forever etched into my musical upbringing. And he’s in heavy rotation in my heart as the news sinks in.”

Friends and colleagues from across show business and broadcasting have commented on the life and legacy of Dick Clark, who died Wednesday April 18 at age 82:

• Freddy Cannon: “Dick did everything for me — he promoted me from the ’50s through the ’90s, on TV and in his live shows. He always included me. His family and mine were friends. He always loved the music of the ’50s and ’60s.”
• Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff: “As fellow Philadelphians, we have admired Dick Clark and the American Bandstand brand for many years, as it promoted Philadelphia music around the nation. We thank him for being one of the pioneers in promoting the Philly Dance and Music scene for the nation and world to enjoy. We send our sincere and deepest condolences to Dick Clark’s family.”
• Freda Payne: “I had the honor of appearing on American Bandstand back in the ’70S. Dick Clark was a very nice man and did a lot to cross over black acts into pop.He will be missed.”
• Paul Anka: “Certainly one of the pioneers. He was a friend, he was a brother. Dick was the guy we bounced ideas off. We’d talk about ideas for our future. He brought all the youth together. Look at all the diverse music of the ’60s and ’70s. He brought it all together on American Bandstand.”
• John Oates: “Dick Clark created a new media format. With an understated on-air presence, he made the kids and their music the stars of the show. Dick’s genius was in his ability to use the power of television to help define how American teenagers saw themselves. From its humble beginnings, to its eventual national network syndication, Dick Clark’s American Bandstand spread the gospel of American pop music and teenage style that transcended the regional boundaries of our country and united a youth culture that eventually spread its message throughout the entire world. With his passing, Dick Clark deserves to take his place at the top in the pantheon of popular culture icons.”
• Neil Sedaka: “Dick Clark was one of the first champions of my music, starting my career off by putting me on American Bandstand. I was also part of his first New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. He was a national treasure, producing music television for young people, by young people. His influence single-handedly changed the face of American music and helped launch the careers of many great artists who are still active today. He was always a dear friend and will be incredibly missed.”
• Gene Cornish of The Rascals: “Dick Clark was the most knowledgeable and most dedicated student and professor of rock and roll. We enjoyed the pleasure of having him “on our side” He loved us and we loved him.”
• Andy Kim: “1968, ‘How’d We Ever Get This Way?’ My first TV appearance on American Bandstand… I’m scared and really can’t believe that the TV show my kid brother Michael and I loved watching together was going to feature me. My name is on the dressing room door… someone knocks and in enters Dick Clark… Now I’m terrified… We shake hands … He tells me how much he loves my song… It’s a hit, he says…The rest is surreal… He introduced me with all the fan fare of a star… He made this moment a lifetime memory… He made me feel like Elvis… I was honored to come back again & again… I came to realize that he loved songs and artists and made everyone of his guests feel like Elvis. I celebrate his magical place in rock and roll history.”
• Little Anthony: “I knew him better than many people in the business did. I could stop by his office anytime. When we were on his tours, he’d asked me to sit up front with him. Me and Fabian. In 1992, right after we’d gotten the group back together, he has us on the 40th anniversary TV special. It was one of the best shows we’ve ever done. And he was also one of the best businessmen America’s ever seen.”
• Peter Asher: “I worked with Dick in so many different ways over the decades and he was always a true gentleman and a man of integrity and style.In the old days, Gordon and I had the pleasure of appearing live on The Dick Clark Caravan of Stars alongside so many extraordinary acts: The Shirelles, The Drifters, Tom Jones, Jackie de Shannon and many more. Dick put some brilliant tours together and I could tell you stories of life on the bus that would amaze you!And on TV we got to appear on Bandstand, Where the Action Is and more.And finally as the manager of Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor I spoke to Dick frequently and we worked together as often as we could. He was a man of irrepressible enthusiasm and determined good humor. And he never gave up.He will be greatly missed as a friend and as a true pillar of the classic age of the rock and roll business.”
• Barry Mann: “Dick Clark looked like and should have lived forever. He was an innovator and a great guy. I did Bandstand when ‘Who Put the Bomp’ was a hit and did Where the Action Is later on in the ’60s.”
• Cynthia Weil: “Dick Clark was the heart of rock and roll. He was also a great guy and called [my husband] Barry Mann his ‘long lost son.’ It was an honor to know him.”
• B.J. Thomas: “Dick was universally loved by all musicians. Being on Bandstand and on the Dick Clark tours was validation for me as well as other artist.He was a mentor and will be missed by me and millions of others.”
• Ron Dante: “Dick Clark was an incredible man. He gave me one of my first jobs on his Caravan of Stars in 1965 with my group The Detergents. He traveled on the tour bus with all the acts and was one of us. A kind and wonderful friend who put me on his Bandstand show with my first solo single. I produced, with Barry Manilow, [the version of] his theme song that played for over 15 years.”
• Dennis Coffey: “I was on American Bandstand. [It] certainly had an impact on American culture and music. I remember watching the kids dance on that show when it first came on from Philadelphia.”
• Janis Ian: “A kindly man, and always a gentleman to me. Respected and admired for more than 57 years, rare in this business! One of the things people tend to overlook, in their zeal to talk about Dick and American Bandstand, is what an incredible driving force he was for integration. Truly color blind when it came to music. And he never, ever, turned his back on his roots. One of the good guys.”
• Carol Connors, the lead singer on The Teddy Bears‘ “To Know Him is to Love Him”: “When I got back to high school [after our appearance on Bandstand], all the kids wanted to know about were the dancers, Bob and Justine like? I am really saddened at Dick’s passing.”
• Jerry Martini of Sly and the Family Stone: “I was on the show I think three times with Sly and once with my Rubicon band. Dick was inducted in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame the same night as us, when he received a lifetime award.”
• Joe Terry of Danny and the Juniors: “He was a great businessman — and the nicest guy in the world. We owe our career to him — he told us to retitle ‘Do the Bop’ as ‘At the Hop,’ because record hops were really popular. Then, when another act canceled, because were local [in Philadelphia], he called us at the last minute to appear — and the record took off!”
• William King of The Commodores: “What I liked about his show was that he had all kinds of artists on. If he thought that you were good, he didn’t care what you were — he wanted to get you on the show. That helped everybody. Viewers liked the variety.”
• Lew Klein was the program director at channel 6 in Philadelphia, and selected Dick to host of Bandstand when it was still a local show: “With his appearance, delivery, being able to communicate with the audience, he was destined for television. He could handle the kids and talk to them in a way that they liked.” Klein adds, “The greatest contribution that Bandstand made to this country, to this country, was helping the integration of the late 1950s. To have the kids integrated on the show — they were dancing on the same dance floor.”
• Al Kooper: “I wasn’t ready for it. He was like The Titanic of rock and roll. It changes everything; him not walking the earth anymore. He started so many things and broke so many artists. I have never heard a bad word spoken about him. That’s a pretty great eulogy right there.”
• Bob Cowsill: “Dick Clark was wonderful to The Cowsills. Remember back then you could only be seen on TV, in a teen mag or in concert.That was it. There was no YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, none of it….but there was Dick Clark and Bandstand. You felt special going on American Bandstand and that was because Dick Clark made you feel that way. A great man and a great pioneer.”
• John Gummoe, lead singer and co-writer of The Cascades‘ “Rhythm of the Rain”: We all knew he was not well, but still numbing and sad to hear of the passing of a show business legend. Always a class act from day one and a shrewd business man. He did it with honesty and elegance though which is quite a feat in itself.”
• Kenny Rogers: “I’m one of the lucky people who can say that I knew Dick Clark personally. Dick produced almost every awards show I was on during the 80′s, and he constantly encouraged me toward success. He will be missed by everyone — especially by those who knew him well.”
• The Ventures: “We’re deeply saddened by the passing of Dick Clark today. The group was featured on Bandstand for the first time in 1960. Dick Clark was truly an innovator, a legend and someone who had a profound effect on the American music scene for decades.He will be missed.New Year’s Eve will never be the same.”
• Beverly Bremers: “Dick Clark was a great man with an amazing ear for musical talent.I had the pleasure of spending time with him backstage before the taping of my Bandstand performance and he was a delight. We had wine and cheese together, traded interesting stories, and chatted with his lovely wife and daughter. He was truly a pioneer in the music business and will be sorely missed.”
• John Ford Coley: “I was on several shows he was involved in, American Bandstand of course, but also the Captain and Tennille show and the David Soul special. I learned so much from being around him both professionally and personally. He never failed to spend time with me just talking when we were on the set. I appreciated that and look back on him fondly.”
• Phil Margo of The Tokens: “Dick Clark gave us our first hit ‘Tonight I Fell in Love’ by having us on American Bandstand. It was only after our appearance that the record started taking off. It allowed us to get to ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’ and all the hits we later produced. Without him we would never have had the success we so enjoyed. We all live with that ultimate rendezvous… and so we must lead our lives with large helpings of joy, love, honor and dignity, and give them all a hundred percent of ourselves.”
• Paul Petersen: “I had the honor of appearing on Bandstand back in the Philly days when my records were taking off, and travelled with the Dick Clark Caravan of Stars during my summer breaks from The Donna Reed Show. He was always generous with his praise and support. In later years I attended several Times Square New Year’s Eve celebrations with Dick, enjoying his company and this country’s best known New Year’s party. Dick Clark was one of a kind, and lived gracefully to the end of his days.”
• George Cameron of The Left Banke: “When we were on Bandstand, we got the feeling that he loved music, and was interested in it. Before the show he met with us and made us feel relaxed. He shook everybody’s hand. His smile was contagious. There’s only one Dick Clark, and he will live forever.”
• Diana Ross: “We all felt Dick was always this handsome teenager, as we all got older, Dick remained a teenager. I will always appreciate what he did for me and for popular music. He presented Motown and The Supremes on tour with the Caravan of Stars and on American Bandstand where I got my start. Dick Clark was a pioneer, he was a music star maker, he was a legend and was my friend. He said that ‘music is the soundtrack of your life.’ Since I was 16, he was always a part of mine. My love and prayers go out to his family.”
• Berry Gordy Jr.: “We were friends for over 50 years. Dick was always there for me and Motown, even before there was a Motown. He was an entrepreneur, a visionary and a major force in changing pop culture and ultimately influencing integration. It happened first emotionally. Music can do that. He didn’t do it from a soap box, he just did it. That’s who he was. American Bandstand was a platform for all artists. He helped bring Motown into living rooms across America. Dick did everything with class, style and integrity. He was a true gentleman. His groundbreaking achievements in music and television ensure that his legacy will live on forever.”
• Connie Francis: “I considered Dick to be my dearest friend in this business, a friendship that has endured since 1958. He was there for every crisis of my life and there were many. Without Dick Clark there would have been no career because I was ready to abandon it. Dick was the most principled man I ever met in this business and treated everyone the same way, even if you were the little guy.”
• Billy Hinsche: “Dino, Desi & Billy did Where The Action Is in the ’60s and I appeared on several of his Rockin’ New Year’s Eve shows with The Beach Boys, most notably in 1975 along with Chicago, Olivia Newton-John and The Doobie Brothers. He was always a gentleman, treated me with great respect and was maybe one of the nicest people in the business, though I hear he was a very tough negotiator.”
• New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg: “Times Square is considered the crossroads of the world in no small part because Dick Clark’s New Year’s Eve celebrations there were beamed across the globe. I remember one New Year’s Eve, he and I stood in Times Square marveling about how much the area — and the City — had improved over the years. But Dick Clark never had to chang, he was a great entertainer who stood the test of time. Generations of Americans grew up with Dick, and yet he seemed forever young. His spirit will always live on in Times Square, and in hearts of millions of New Yorkers.”
• Chubby Checker tells Philadelphia’s KYW-TV: “His wife named me Checker. She put the Checker on the Chubby. I’ve known this man so and we’ve been very close. I miss him very much… “He changed my life because the way we dance on the dance floor today happened on American Bandstand. It happened with me.”

• Aretha Franklin: “I am so sorry to hear of Dick Clark’s passing, an American institution. Dick was a real gentleman and the ears of young America enjoying milk shakes, fries and bobby sox.”
• Howard Kaylan of The Turtles reacts on Facebook to those who were critical of the American Bandstand host’s taste in music: “Let me tell you about Dick Clark, haters. He took pride in every act he worked with and treated his job as an honor. RIP Sir.”
• Tommy James: “It can’t be over-stated how important he was. Alan Freed created the era of rock and roll on the radio and Dick Clark did it on television.” James, who saw the very first episode of Bandstand in 1957, met Dick nine years later when he guested on Where the Action Is September 28th, 1966. “We taped it out at Malibu Beach. My heroes Paul Revere and the Raiders were there.” Carol Ross, who is now Tommy’s manager, was one of the dancers that appeared on the episode!
• Peter Frampton calls Dick “an institution. He was a music lover obviously and was a huge fan of all these acts.
• Carly Simon never appeared on American Bandstand but “certainly remembers tuning in as often as my parents would let me — and trying to learn the jitterbug was watching the show.”
• Tony Orlando: “Only God is responsible for making more stars than Dick Clark. My prayers go out to his wife Kari and the rest of the Dick Clark Family.”
• Jackie DeShannon: “I did several of Dick’s tours — we all got on the bus and the Caravan of Stars rode into town with Gene Pitney, Bobby Vinton and lot of very amazing artists. He will be so missed. I will always cherish the times I appeared on American Bandstand — one of the great highlights of my career.”
• Jim Peterik of The Ides of March: “I had the pleasure of spending time with Dick in the dressing room of a Mama Cass special in 1970.”Vehicle” was riding high on the charts. Dick commented on how much he liked the record.But then the conversation turned to his love for his collection of vintage Mercedes. All the Ides felt we were being let into his private world and it was a great feeling. Dick made everyone feel that way.”
• Lonnie Jordan of War: “I had the pleasure of appearing on American Bandstand for the single ‘The Cisco Kid.’ He was the ‘president’ of America’s TV musical entertainment, and will be missed greatly.”
• Peggy March: “Dick was an icon. Everybody, all ages, knew who he was. It was wonderful that I could be a part of the business and the era that he was responsible for getting accepted by parents, and the industry as “here to stay”. There is no one like him!!!”
• Peter Rivera, lead singer of Rare Earth: “I was amazed how he took a personal interest to make sure we were comfortable with our set-up for the show. He really cared about us and I felt so close to him, it was amazing. He was just a generous person. He will not be forgotten. Meeting Dick was a highlight of my career.”
• Bill Withers says, “Dick was always very nice to me. I didn’t make much dance music. But [Bandstand] was some place where you could go and people could see you.”
• Larry Evoy, lead singer of Edward Bear: “I grew up watching American Bandstand, and in 1973 had the luck and privilege of meeting Dick Clark, and performing ‘Last Song’ on Bandstand. His manner was so relaxed and professional… it made the band feel welcome. For me it was a personal historical moment.”

Caesars Windsor is proud to present Dick Fox’s The Golden Boys performing at 9 pm on Saturday, July 14, 2012. The show unites three of the most popular teen idols of the late 50s and 60s: Frankie Avalon, Fabian and Bobby Rydell. Hear these legendary performers sing their all-time greatest hits including Avalon’s “Venus” and “De De Dinah,” and “Bobby Sox to Stockings”; Fabian’s “Turn Me Loose” and “Tiger” and Rydell’s “Volare” and “Kissin’ Time” plus tributes to the era’s biggest singers. Tickets starting at $25 Canadian.

Also this summer, the Happy Together Tour performs live on the Colosseum stage on Friday, August 3, 2012. Hear the best pop-rock music of the 60s with The Turtles featuring Flo and Eddie, The Monkees’ lead singer Mickey Dolenz, Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, The Grass Roots and The Buckinghams. It’s a high-energy, fun evening with live performances of their biggest hits including “Happy Together”, “I’m a Believer”, “Young Girl”, “Let’s Live for Today” and “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy”. Tickets starting at $20 Canadian.

Please note: Due to the great response to the Price is Right™ Live shows in June, a matinee show has been added at 3 pm on Wednesday, June 27, 2012. Featuring host Todd Newton, this stage adaptation of the iconic television game show invites random audience members to “Come On Down” to participate in a variety of favorite Price is Right games for a chance to win great prizes. Tickets are $25 Canadian.

Tickets for all three shows go on sale at noon on Friday, April 27.