Category: A Fan’s View

During the week of October 14, 1972 “Ben” sung by Michael Jackson reached Number 1 on the Billboard Charts. Even though he had had a number of Number 1’s along with his brothers as the Jackson 5 this was was first solo number 1. Only two performers had a Billboard Number 1 at a younger age. Stevie Wonder, “Fingertips” and Donny Osmond with “Go Away Little Girl”.

Ironically Donny Osmond was offered the song, but since he and his brothers were on tour at the time, he was unable to record it.

Don Black and Walter Scharf wrote the song as the title song for the movie “Ben”, a sequel to “Willard”. Both Ben and Willard are rats.

The song was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song. This video was of his performance at the ceremony in 1973. “Ben” lost to “The Morning After” by Maureen McGovern from The Poseidon Adventure.

The song also reached number one on the Australian pop chart, spending eight weeks at the top, but only reached number seven on the British pop chart.

The famous Coca-Cola Commercial

The New Seekers

May 1st is a holiday in many countries. One such holiday is International Workers’ Day (a name used interchangeably with May Day) a celebration of the achievements of the international labor movement. In the United States many view it as a socialist or communist celebration, although the day is the commemoration of the Haymarket Riot in Chicago in 1886.

he Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions (FOTLU) of the United States and Canada had set the date of May 1, 1886, as the date by which the eight-hour work day would become the standard work day. In the Chicago area of Haymarket Square on May 4, a riot broke out between strikers against employers who did not grant the 8 hour work day. The strikers lost.

May Day is also a holiday that was celebrated in pagan Europe. It was a festival day to celebrate the spring planting. For the Druids it was the second most important day in the year when they celebrated the festival of Beltane.

From this May Day celebration comes the May Pole and the May Pole Dance. In the Middle Ages the villages would bring a pole to the center of the village from the adjoining forest. At times neighboring villages would even have contest to see who had the tallest pole.

In the bigger towns, such as London, the poles would become a permanent structure. This custom came to America with the English colonist. One such structure in the center of New York was renamed the Liberty Pole just prior to the beginning of the Revolutionary War.

At Washington College, a small Liberal Arts College located on Maryland”s Eastern Shore, the first of May has become a day when the students celebrate the coming of the end of the semester and the beginning of summer with an unique liberating May Day tradition.

Brewer & Shipley, a folk rock duo, are singer-songwriters Mike Brewer and Tom Shipley. This song from 1971 was their most successful.

Even though in a way it can be considered a song about excess, One Toke over the Line, in the vernacular of the age a toke was a puff from a marijuana cigarette.

The performance at the 1972 Tony Awards

“The Cover of ‘Rolling Stone'” was written by Shel Silverstein with Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show recording it. It was the band’s third single and peaked at number six on the U.S. pop chart for two weeks on March 17–24, 1973.

Dr Hook And The Medicine Show did get their picture on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine on March 29, 1973 issue. It was only a caricature of the band not a photograph and the band name was not mentioned. The caption was, “What’s-Their-Names Make the Cover.”

It’s been reported that they really did buy five copies for their mothers.

Hi,

I’m H. August Knight and I have joined forces with Steve Atkinson and Toni Lynne here at “View from the Shore” to give honest reviews of music, TV and movies from a fan’s view. Or I should say from my view.

Often we as fans are hear critical reviews, but sometimes those view don’t match the same as those of the fans. Most of those critics are are educated and trained in the same field that they are giving criticism.

I have a little knowledge in the Theatrical Arts since I did take some courses in college a few decades ago.

The thought of doing this type of articles came to me almost that long ago, but for many reasons I never pursue. Now that I am moving toward retirement I am going to start.

How often will I post? That’s a good question. Once that right now I don’t have a answer. My goal is around once a week.

https://youtu.be/aeMX1JfqKuc