The late great Johnny "Guitar" Watson
Greetings and salutations. Well, another summer has come and gone, but the memory will linger on. It was an amazing summer — hurricanes, rains, storms, floods, alarms. Yet Memories survived with all the partying people. As I’ve said on radio, clubs come and clubs go. They’re hot today, but gone tomorrow. For 40 years Memories has been the constant spot. People from all over the country pick up on the magic, and that magic is not only the music, but the people from every walk of life, of all ages. Memories does not depend upon one group, but all people who come together to dance and party, and last weekend was no exception. Back were the familiar faces — Chuck Peruto Jr., John Bolaris, the Admiral and the lovely Linda, Freddie, Bernadette, Charlotte’s kids, the Three Amigos, the Nicolosis, Joe and Dawn Ranieri, the gang from Burberry’s and Ocean City, and many more too numerous to name. Perhaps next week we’ll highlight some more of the folks. To all of you, thank you from the bottom of my heart for continuing the legacy. Now, let’s ask the Geator.
Quick question from a newbie with a failing memory: Which of your shows was Long John Wade the announcer for, Jerry’s Place or Discophonic Scene? Completely drawing a blank here. — Captain Dave
WFIL’s Long John Wade, whose real name was Carl Wehde, was my announcer on Jerry’s Place. He passed away in 2006 and was inducted as a Broadcast Pioneer in 2009.
There is a song that I have been hearing in the evening during your show. The lyrics go, “I gave my heart in Wildwood,” “Wildwood with you,” “I’ll never forget, I’ll always remember.” The artist is female. I really like this song and would like to find out the name! — James Maluk, Mount Holly
That’s Pat Kirby’s “Wildwood.” The B-side is another summer song I play, “This Summer.” Both of these wonderful songs were produced by Peter de Angelis, who co-founded Chancellor Records with Bob Marcucci. He also wrote and did magnificent musical arrangements for Frankie Avalon, Al Martino, and Eddie Holman, all from Philadelphia.
Truth or rumor that Johnny “Guitar” Watson died on stage in the middle of a guitar solo? — Ed Spurl, Margate
That happens to be true. Johnny, who was a great blues guitarist from Texas, died of a massive heart attack at age 61 while performing in Japan. He started out doing a lot of session work in his early career and then went on as a solo artist to help create the funk sound. In 1996, two months before his death, he received a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation.
Got a question for Jerry? Send it to AskTheGeator@acweekly.com or Geator Gold Radio, 626 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106. For more info on Jerry’s appearances, go to www.geator.net — and keep on rocking, ’cause you only rock once!
Once again, greetings and salutations. Hard to believe we’re moving into the middle of October, and before you can wink an eye, the holidays will be here, and then another new year. And speaking about the New Year, our great news is that our gala New Year’s Eve party this year will again be at the Atlantic City Trump Taj Mahal, this time in the main room. Stay tuned for info on how you can get your tickets. And if you haven’t been able to get my book, You Only Rock Once, we’ll have copies on hand this Friday night at Fabulous ’50s Weekend in Wildwood, and again on Tuesday, Oct. 18, when...
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