Cheri Emahiser
The SaddleBrooke Singers have been happily singing. Rehearsals for their April 7 Sunday Matinee performance at the DesertView Performing Arts Center are underway. We know you will have as much fun listening to us sing the tunes of the ‘60s as we are learning them all over again as chorale renditions. One of the songs we are enjoying rehearsing is “Joy to the World,” written by Hoyt Axton, the creator of the hit tune “Never Been to Spain.” Made famous by the band Three Dog Night, the song topped the singles chart in North America.
Did I Hear Bullfrog?
Hearing the opening lyrics of “Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog” takes me right back to my youth and the night I saw Three Dog Night in concert. I don’t remember who my date was, but I can still conjure up the happy memory of rocking to the music while standing in front of the stage at the Eugene Armory in Oregon. The building was torn down shortly after the concert took place in the late ‘60s. With the sonic reverberations coming from those huge, stacked Fender amps slamming the brick walls surrounding us, I suspect the band might have loosened some mortar while playing their tunes until long after midnight. They were on fire and didn’t want to stop. In fact, they refused to stop until armory personnel finally resorted to turning off all the lights.
A Transistor Radio?
Of course, I listened to Three Dog Night and other recording artists on my transistor radio. What was your favorite radio station? In Oregon, KISN Radio was the most popular rock station in Portland in the 1960s and 1970s. One of their promotions included a billboard at the airport exit that said, “While you’ve been away, we’ve been KISN your wife! Catch us at 91.5!” In Salem, the capital city, my radio was tuned to KBZY (1490 AM) where I listened to the station’s Rock Top 40 hits. Like me, you probably went through more than a few radio batteries listening to the rock and roll of those days.
Plan on attending our concert. Take the opportunity to reconnect with those long-ago, distinctive life events while listening. Maybe you’ll remember a prom or sock-hop, a graduation, or a wedding when you hear one of our tunes. We have some wonderful music planned for you. Don’t miss what will be a very memorable and joyous afternoon.
Should you have questions about the SaddleBrooke Singers, please check out our website www.saddlebrookesingers.org, or phone our president Claudia Kistler at 520-306-2113.