Wilson Area High School
Class of 1971
This Week
The Music of Our WHS Years
| The six years we spent at Wilson High - from September 1965 through June 1971 - are widely considered to be among the greatest in the history of rock and pop music. |
| When we first arrived at WHS as Seventh Graders, the British Invasion, which effectively began a year-and-a-half before with the Beatles' February 9, 1964 appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, was in full attack mode. Not to be outdone by the Fab Four and their U.K. mates, as well as to cash in on the new phenomenon, the U.S.A. counterattack was also well underway. |  |
| Borrowing from (sometimes flat out imitating) the Brits and tapping into the rock & roll, soul and pop catalog that our parents sang and danced to, the American recording industry had already begun to drastically alter or, at a minimum, rapidly evolve what we were listening to. |
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Over the next six years, when we weren't busy "gathering tares and flowers" or "preparing for our destinies," we were experiencing a revolution in popular music. Whole new genres came into being: pop rock, blues rock, folk rock, country rock, hard rock, protest rock, psychedelic rock, sunshine (California and surf) pop, bubblegum - even rock operas. Funk, soul and R&B continued to grow in main stream popularity and the Motown and Stax labels had their biggest years. The recognition and popularity of singer-songwriters reached new heights. We soaked up all those offerings whenever we could and in a wide variety of ways. |
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| In the early years, our "plastic silver, 9-volt heart" transistor radios were usually tuned to WEEX or WAEB. In the evenings, we listened to Top Ten lists and called in song dedications from kitchen wall phones (remember the busy signals?). If we were lucky, on a clear night, we might be able to dial in Cousin Brucie on the pinnacle of Top 40 AM radio, New York City's WABC (assuming your antenna hadn't broken off and there were no large buildings between you and the Empire State Building). By Senior year, the most sophisticated audiophiles were making the quantum leap to FM stereo stations. They played songs from albums (not singles) with "no static at all." |
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When it came to "owning" our music, we started out accumulating 45 rpm singles (and their "flip sides") that we played on single-speaker record players. ("We Can Work It Out / Day Tripper" was my first . . . what was yours?) Eventually, our investments turned to 33 (and a third) rpm albums, at about four bucks each, and more pricey "hi-fidelity" stereo component systems. Late in our high school days, the next great leap forward in technology - the ill-fated 8-track tape - seemingly provided the final solution to the music portability problem. Those with their own cars could now pick and choose their music (or at least the reasonable facsimile that the convoluted 8-track format provided) while on the go. |
| Back at home, an abundance of music-and-dance-oriented TV shows - after-school, prime time and weekends - offered opportunities to see, as well as hear (mostly lip-syncing, but sometimes live), the music-makers, along with a bevy of professional (go-go) and amateur dancers. |
| National broadcasts included American Bandstand, Shindig, Hullabaloo, Hollywood A Go-Go and Where the Action Is. In addition to the nationally syndicated shows, the local (Philadelphia) TV stations - KYW-TV 3, WFIL 6 (originator of Bandstand) and WCAU 10 - had their own programming, including The Jerry ("The Geator with The Heater") Blavat Show and Ed Hurst's Summertime on the Pier show, broadcast live from Atlantic City's Steel Pier each summer weekend. |   |
| As we began our first classes and struggled with the combination locks on our basement lockers in September 1965, NBC was auditioning for its "made for TV" pop group, The Monkees, that debuted the following fall and dominated Monday night television for the next two years. |  |
| Although large concert venues were few and far between in the Lehigh Valley of the late '60s, there were nonetheless chances for us to catch some of the popular acts in concert. The spring prior to our WHS arrival saw the appearance of Herman's Hermits - in their second American gig, no less - at one of Notre Dame High School's Saturday Bandstand dances. (Any of you 6th-graders sneak in?) |
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Summers always provided multiple live appearance opportunities, with Atlantic City's Steel Pier annually serving up a smorgasbord of headliners - The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Supremes, The Four Seasons, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, The Searchers, Stevie Wonder, The Beach Boys, The Box Tops - not to mention diving horses and piano playing ducks. (Who'd you see in AC?) |
| In the second half of the Sixties, the Lambertville Music Circus hosted some tremendous summer lineups "in the round" - including a stop by Country Joe and the Fish, just two weeks before leading the "Fish Cheer" at Woodstock. At least one van load of '71ers made the trek down the Delaware to catch Chicago at the Circus in July of 1970. |
| Speaking of Woodstock, it's possible some of our classmates may have made the journey to Bethel, NY for the greatest rock-fest ever in 1969 (anyone want to claim bragging rights?). For the majority of us that didn't, however, the Starlite Drive-In Theater (1946-2001 R.I.P.) gave us a second chance to "be there" the following spring.
We also were able to relive Woodstock on a daily basis the following fall, when the ultimate Senior perk - The Campus Room - gave us the ability to add our music to the school day. Admittedly, the Woodstock soundtrack did run a distant second to the Beatles White Album in the Campus Room Top Ten. Does anyone else immediately flash back to that basement retreat when they hear "Rocky Raccoon" today? |
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That special capacity that songs have for jogging distant memories - of people, places and events in our past - is especially strong in the music from our youth, our formative years. In particular it's true for the type of music that was popular during our years at Wilson High, regardless of your preferred artists or styles. We invite you to use this section of our website to spark some of your own memories. Just click below:
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Chart Toppers During our six high school years - from September 1965 through June 1971 - a total of 118 songs reached the Number One spot on Billboard's Weekly Top 100 listings. Here's a chronological collection of songs and videos of all 118 - beginning with our 7th grade introduction to Wilson High.
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This Week's Chart Toppers What was Number One this week in 1965 through 1971? What was Number One on your birthday? Crank up the volume! |
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Do you have a favorite song you'd like posted on the site? Would you like to dedicate a song just like the old days (minus the busy signals)? Make your requests or dedications here and we'll try to channel our best WEEX DJ (or, if you prefer, Casey Kasem). |
Let's chat . . . |
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