Radio Show: GARY OWENS SUPERTRACKS #20 JIMMIE RODGERS, ELVIS, 4 SEASONS, BEATLES

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SO HERE IS THE BIG QUESTION:  WHAT IS A RADIO SHOW?  WHY COLLECT THEM?  WHERE DO THEY COME FROM?

  Well, those are good questions, especially if you have never known of them.  Radio Shows are syndicated productions by one of several large and small distributors who supply broadcast product to radio stations normally during weekends when the usual air personalities have a break.  Many air on Saturday or Sunday evenings or during overnight segments.  They often feature some of the best known voices for their genre from across the country thus the Dick Clark's and Casey Kasem's and Rick Dees and Dick Bartley and so many others.

  People collect them for various reasons.  Some just collect the series because they like it and want them all.  Some collect their favorite artists or genre of music.  Rather than an album by the artist or a compilation bought at Wal Mart or wherever, they have a unique presentation of their favorite artist or music not available anywhere else and often with dj presentation which is very entertaining.  Some collect interviews with their favorite artists as most shows had interview segments.  Believe it or not, some collect commercials especially old car commercials but certainly not limited to only those. 

 AND, these shows are in limited quantity.  They were printed just for syndicated stations.  Many have just a few in circulation.  Some of the more popular shows may have as many as a  hundred or two of each week's show that survived but think about it.  A couple hundred for some 200 million Americans and millions of overseas collectors who look for unique presentations of their favorite artists or form of music.  

AND they are increasingly hard to find.  They were first distributed on reel to reel tape if the show goes back that far into the 60's, then later on lp, later on CD and even later (after 2000 for most shows) on CDR.  Now they are not available at all to collectors since they are distributed by digital download much like you get your music from iTunes.

  These shows become rarer and rarer every day because the people who buy them hold on to them and the people who sell them, like me, are running out of them.   My best contact for these shows is running very low and when he is gone I will be at the mercy of finding a good deal here and there but never from a regular source.  The shows that you get now and hold on to will never decrease in value and only increase.   Even during the recession which is hopefully ending, the value of shows did not diminish much.  The number bought diminished because people were afraid to spend their money and who blames them.  But the prices did not decrease much and again are on the increase.  I have prided myself since the start to provide the best and fairest cost with a no holds barred guarantee that you will be happy or I refund your money.  I sell them for near what I bought them for.  I give volume discounts and discount postage always.  As the postal service increases their rates, my shipping rates over the years has decreased.  And, I have one of the biggest radio show libraries in the world consisting of many thousands of shows, so many that I don't even know all that I have and am sometimes amazed when I go to look for one show and find another that I did not realize I had.

   Finally, it is Americana at its best.  Whether the show be from the 60's or 2000's, rock, countdown, oldies, country, classical, religious, jazz or big band, it is unique and home grown.  And you just can't find them anywhere.  Even record stores that still exist will rarely have any.  Radio shows are wonderful representations of the real golden age of radio at least music wise.  And every  one you buy is  an original, not a copy, not a remake - all limited editions in the hundreds at most and many much less.  Once you get hooked, like me, it is a love affair for life!    Welcome to the Club!   

        NOW, Picture yourself back in the  50'S, 60'S AND EARLY 70's.  You were glued to your transistor radio listening to the EARLY ROCK top 40 presented by your local radio station.  You had that radio glued to your ear or connected with the little earphone jack that immediately broke.  Your local dj was great.  He knew the music.  He had the gift of talking which rarely occurs anymore.  You loved the presentation of the music as much as the sounds.  You liked the station jingles.  And on weekends when the local dj's had off, you listened to either taped shows they did during the week to be played on the weekend or a syndicated radio show featuring one of the greats.  It was the golden age of music.  Music was king and the dj's were just as popular.  You can relive those days whether you grew up then or just wish you had.  AND, that great style is continued on a handful of present day shows especially the countdown shows.  THIS IS ONE OF THEM.  GARY OWNES SUPERTRACKS!   

  BEFORE YOU CHECK OUT THIS SHOW, NOTE MY LOW SHIPPING AND SHOW PRICES!!!   2.99 cent shipping for as many as you buy saves you big bucks!!!  Buy one or a hundred and pay only 2.99 cents total. And my international friends pay only 15.99 for the first show and EVERY other show in the same order ships for no further charge.   You won't find a better shipping deal on the internet for radio shows.  My prices are guaranteed to save!  Others say they are the lowest cost on the internet - compare shop.  Add their shipping costs to their prices and compare with mine.  You WILL save and the more you buy the more you save.  So, what am I offering?  READ ON!!! 

 SO, what exactly are you looking at?  ONE OF THE MOST CLASSIC EARLY ROCK N ROLL SYNDICATED RADIO SHOWS THAT EVER AIRED.  AFTER DICK CLARK'S ROCK ROLL AND REMEMBER, THIS IS IT!  LA CREME DE LA CREME.  GARY OWENS SUPERTRACKS FEATURED NOT ONLY THE BEST MUSIC FROM THE EARLY ROCK ERA BUT PRESENTED BY ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST RENOWNED DISC JOCKEYS - GARY OWENS, HIMSELF, OF LAUGH IN FAME!  If you don't remember Gary, here is a brief history of his radio career:   

1950s

Owens started his radio career in 1952 as a news reporter at KORN, Mitchell, South Dakota and two years later was promoted to news director. In 1956 he left KORN for a newscaster job at KMA, Shenandoah, Iowa before moving on to a disc jockey job at KOIL, Omaha, Nebraska. He also worked in Dallas, New Orleans, St. Louis, and KIMN in Denver before relocating to California in 1959, working atKROY in Sacramento and KEWB in Oakland before finally settling in Los Angeles.

1960s

Owens moved to KEWB's sister station KFWB in Los Angeles in 1961. From there, he joined the staff of KMPC in 1962, replacing previous host Johnny Grant, where he remained for the next two decades, working the 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. shift Monday through Friday. A gifted punster, Owens became known for his surrealistic humor. Among his trademarks were daily appearances by The Story Lady(played by Joan Gerber); the Rumor of the Day; myriad varieties of "The Nurney Song"; and the introduction of the nonsense word"insegrevious," which was briefly included in the Funk & Wagnalls Dictionary.

His regular on-air radio terms included "krenellemuffin," as in "We'll be back in just a krenellemuffin." Gary always credited his radio engineer at the end of his broadcast: "I'd like to thank my engineer, Wayne Doo, for creebling at the turntables" (referring to KMPC engineer Wayne DuBois). He also created the previously non-existent colors "veister" and "krelb".

In the early 1960s, like punster-TV star comic colleagues Ernie Kovacs, Steve Allen, and Jonathan Winters, Gary Owens created a few comic characters of his own, such as the gruff old man Earl C. Festoon and his wife Phoebe Festoon, the stuffy old businessman Endocrine J. Sternwallow, and the goofy good ol' boy, Merle Clyde Gumpf. Another character was crotchety old cantankerous Mergenthaler Waisleywillow.

Owens also did amusing radio promotions, such as sending in for "Yours," which turned out to be a postcard from him at the radio station which simply said "Yours" on it;autographed pictures of the Harbor Freeway in Los Angeles; and his famous "Moo Cow Report," in which Gary and his character Earl C. Festoon would describe where cows were moving inbound on the crowded freeways of Los Angeles.

During this time Owens was also known as "Superbeard," because like his contemporary radio icon Wolfman Jack, he sported a goatee-beard, Hawaiian shirts, baggy Bermuda shorts, and his "1941 wide necktie with a hula girl on it." Often during these comedy sketches on the air, he would have the assistance of other radio comics, most notably Bob Arbogast (known as "Arbo" to his adoring fans), Stan Ross (of "Drowning in the Surf" fame in 1963), and Jim "Weather Eyes" Hawthorne.

According to IMDb, Owens appeared on eight episodes of the 1966-67 television series The Green Hornet.

Owens also did his famous "Good Evening Kiss" on KMPC when he was on from 9 p.m. to midnight, by saying, "Now I'll just snuggle up to a nice warm microphone, andembracemoi," making a big wet kiss sound effect followed by the sound effect of a gong striking. In 1966, Owens collaborated with Bob Arbogast, June Foray, Daws Butler,Paul Frees, and others on a comedy spoof record album titled "Sunday Morning With the Funnies" with the Jimmy Haskell Orchestra on Reprise Records.

During this period, Owens became more widely known as the voice of the eponymous television cartoon characters in Roger Ramjet and Space Ghost; the excitable narrator/announcer from The Perils of Penelope Pitstop; and perhaps most well-known, as the hand-on-the-ear announcer in the booth on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, all the while continuing his show on KMPC. He also hosted its daily game show spin-off, Letters to Laugh-In, during its brief run in 1969. In addition, Owens appeared regularly as a television newscaster on The Green Hornet during the 1966–1967 season.

Capitalizing on Owens' "Laugh-In" fame, Mel Blanc Audiomedia, an audio production company based in Beverly Hills, California, developed and marketed "The Gary Owens Special Report," a 260-episode package of syndicated radio comedy shows. He also appeared in the Sesame Street pilot in a sketch called "The Man from Alphabet."

He was a scriptwriter for Jay Ward Productions, appeared in many series for Walt Disney, and did over 30,000 commercials. He was also a guest star on The Munsters, I Dream of Jeannie and McHale's Navy.

During the late 1960s, when the films of 1930s comedians such as the Marx Brothers, W. C. Fields and Mae West were finding a new audience, Owens narrated phonograph records containing sound clips from the films.

 This show, Gary Owens Supertracks was an extremely popular radio show at the beginning of the syndicated radio series history. It was a most unusual show in one major respect.  Most syndicated radio shows were 'bartered' to stations with national commercials included.  That meant that the show came to stations with no charge to the stations in exchange for the national commercials included.  Local stations then had a few minutes every hour for their own commercials and that is how they made their money.   This series was 'sold' to syndicating stations which meant there were absolutely no commercials and the local station was free to sell all commercial spots to recoup the cost of the show and to make money for the station.     Aside from this syndicator, CREATIVE RADIO SHOWS, very few syndicators did it this way.  One other notable company was a company owned by Dick Clark which distributed his first offerings on lp in the same manner through his Diamond P Productions.   

Also unlike most syndicated shows that ran on a specific week so that the commercials were not dated, these shows could be run anytime by the local station so they are undated.  They probably were released in the late 70's or very early 80's since there were few shows released in this manner after about 1981.  That makes this a very rare and unique show.

 The show was designed to be played weekly.  It came on three lp's in pristine new condition even after all these years and were probably played only on the day of network broadcast.  The cue sheets for the show are included and aside from being a bit yellowed for being so old but in good condition.     This show is a classic and needs to be in your collection.  Each show contained special artist features, interviews, and the humor of Gary Owens for which he was so famous.  Whenever I list these shows they sell immediately because they are so rare and of such high quality.     I am sorry that I have gone on and on with this listing but that is how I feel about this show.  I hope you feel the same way.  

THIS SHOW IS #20 IN THE SERIES.  THIS SPECIAL  OUTING OF THE SHOW INCLUDED A TRIBUTE TO THE GREAT JIMMY RODGERS OF HONEYCOMB FAME AMONG OTHERS.   These shows are not only Americana, they are GARY OWENS Americana.  The history of rock and roll and its evolution to today cannot be discussed without GARY OWENS entering into the mix again and again and you can see why after reading my write up!  These shows give you an opportunity to have something that few people in the world can own, the original, one and only Gary Owens on an authentic, rare, mint condition actual radio show.  These shows belong in your collection.  I am pleased to offer these great  and rare shows to you.  It is not only the music but a piece of Americana that most people do not even know about.  It is a piece of radio history you are getting with these shows.  You just aren't going to find these shows anymore.  Think of what they will be worth in a few years!  (IF you wanted to sell.)  I am selling to share with other music lovers what I was able to get at a reasonable price.

  HERE ARE THE SONGS ON THIS GREAT OUTING OF THIS CLASSIC OLDIES SHOW WITH THE FAMOUS GARY OWENS! 

The Monkeytime - Major Lance                 Run Baby Run - Newbeats                     Judy In Disguise - John Fred and His Playboy Band            Bimbombey       and           Honeycomb - Jimmie Rodgers             I Feel The Earth Move - Carole King           Evil Ways - Santana           Love Me Do - Beatles             You're The One That I Love - John Travolta and Olivia Newton John             Harbor Lights - Platters              If I Can Dream - Elvis             Everybody Loves a Clown - Gary Lewis        Little Star - Elegants         Let The Good Times Roll - Shirley and Lee           Surfer Girl - Beach Boys        I Can't Stop Loving You - Ray Charles           Downtown - Petula Clark         Washington Square - Village Stompers        More Love - Smokey Robinson         GTO - Ronny and the Daytonas       I Want To hold Your Hand - Beatles         Pleasant Valley Sunday - Monkees        Tighter and Tighter - Alive N Kickin         Satisfaction - Rolling Stones            Torn Between Two Lovers - Mary MacGregor      Lovers Who Wander - Dion         The Three Bells - Browns         Eli's Coming - Three Dog Night        Sunshine Superman - Donovan          I'm a Fool - Dino Desi and Billy         Palisades park - Freddie Cannon          Leader of the Pack - Shangrillas            Greenback Dollar - Kingston Trio          Sounds of Silence - Simon and Garfunkel      Penny Lane - Beatles         the World I Used To Know         and     Kisses Sweater Than Wine - Jimmie Rodgers         Well Respected Man - Kinks           Bang A Gong - T Rex         Groovin - Rascals         Three times A Lady - Commodores       Walk Like a Man - Four Seasons         Sea of Love - Phil Phillips        Raindrops Keep Fallin On My Head - BJ Thomas       Nadine - Chuck Berry       Hawaii 50 Theme - Ventures       Catch Us If You Can - Dave Clark 5       and       I Know - Barbara George      

 REMEMBER, there are no commercials on this show, only a word from Gary after each segment as to what to expect in the next segment and then a break for local commercials which of course do not appear on these shows. 

 These shows are disappearing from the market because they are no longer available.  The lp shows have not been made since about 1991 and they have the truest fidelity as you know if you are an audiophile.  And now, shows are no longer released on CD since they are all digitally downloaded by stations.   I truly do not know of ANY show currently available on CD.  So, the days of unique shows not copied from the soundboard of a station and sold as such are gone.  This is all there is and will be.  It is said that selling radio shows is a vanishing hobby as they become harder and harder t find and the prices go up and up.  Well, my prices are still reasonable and close to what I paid for them.  I am a collector too and know how hard it is to find shows that I want to fill my collection.   Radio shows have become rarer and harder to find so you should grab them now while you still can.  As always, I charge only shipping on the first show you buy for U.S. and International buyers,  so the more you buy the more money you will save.  Good Luck and God Bless You.