"A long long time ago
I can still remember hows
That music used to make me smile
And I knew if I had my chance
That I could make those people dance"
And maybe they'd be happy for a while.....Don McLean....American Pie
Hello my 6 1/2 followers. I haven't checked in for awhile, but I haven't found the right subject to talk about. I was going to write about the sinking of the Titanic, an event that had such a great impact on the world. Well, everyone was writing about Titanic and I didn't feel I had anything new to offer. Instead, this morning, I decided to write about someone and something that touches us all. Dick Clark and American Bandstand.
Pam, you might say as that is my name! Why are you writing about a person and American Icon that everyone will write about. Let me answer it this way. What is more personal that the music you listen to? Yes, someone else created it and it now touches you, Who doesn't have a "soundtrack" to their lives. Music and songs make us happy and sad, sometimes both at the same time. It's an amazing feeling. Think about how you feel when you hear a song that you haven't heard in ages. Something from you childhood perhaps. I don't care WHO you are, we all mentally, and sometimes verbally exclaim "that's my jam" and turn it up.
In 1956 Dick Clark helped us "pump up the jams" there is another part to that quote, but I kept it clean!!! It is said that Dick Clark legitimized Rock n Roll and helped make it acceptable to a whole new demographic, to the parents of the kids who bought the Rock n Roll records!. On more Saturday's than we can count, Dick Clark brought the music via Philadelphia way into our homes. Well, no only were the kids home dancing and watching it, but so were Mom and Dad. How could you not like that young, handsome, Dick Clark??? How many people learned to dance watching American Bandstand, well that and a bit of Soul Train thrown in there. We had our favorite people we liked to watch dance. The program showed us how we wanted to dress to be "hip". It gave us our first exposure to a word like "groovy". We learned all of this at the knee of Dick Clark. I always wanted to be on the segment that was "rate a record. I wanted to be the person to say,"it's got a great beat and you can dance to it".
An appearance on American Bandstand said to an artist and their audience they had "made it". Dick Clark was instrumental in the desegregation of Television. We saw Chubby Checker and Pat Boone on the same show.. The next program might be Smokey Robinson and The Miracles and Jay and The Americans. You just never new and wasn't that an amazing thing!! Music was music no matter what. It had no color, no rules. What a wonderful thing!
Dick Clark had just about every major musical act from 1956-1987. Think about all the people that passed Dick Clark's way. He brought Little Richard into our homes (bet that scared a few Grandma's). Years later he did the same thing with Kiss. I saw The Osmond Brothers for the first time on Bandstand and The Jackson Five. Dick Clark had John Travolta on when he was just a kid starting out on WELCOME BACK KOTTER when he gave pop music a shot and had a song that went to number one called LET HER IN. He asked John of all things, "was he a good dancer"! Well, John sure showed us after Dick asked the question! In 1984 he asked a very young Madonna what her dreams were and she answered in her modest style "to rule the world". I remember thinking what kind of answer was that to give Dick Clark....well, she sure came close to it! She ruled the music industry. Mr. Clark helped her put her intentions out there and he did it with grace. John Waters spoofed Dick Clark in a very funny and serious way in Corny Collins in Hairspray. I loved John Waters interpretation of the music industry and segregation. There was no doubt Corny Collins was based on Dick Clark!
There have only ever been three other hosts to American Bandstand before Dick Clark. Bob Horn, Lee Stewart and Tony Mammarella. They hosted from 1952-1956. They paved the way for Dick Clark and he created an empire. Not only was it a musical empire but one that encompassed a TV empire as well. Dick Clark Productions gave us ROCKIN NEWS EVE. THE 25,000 PYRAMID, TV'S BLOOPERS AND PRACTICAL JOKES. DICK CLARK'S PRODUCTION CO. produced THE DAYTIME EMMY'S. There are so many many more things he had his hands in that they are too numerous to mention. He was a restaurateur at one point. I think Dick Clark lived the American dream. He worked his way up from DJ in a small radio station to one of the most powerful men in the music industry.
When Guy Lomardo died my Dad said that they should just cancel New Years Eve because there was never going to be anything as great on that night as Guy Lombardo and The Royal Canadians. Dick Clark started ROCKIN NEW YEARS EVE in 1972 and gave us a whole different perspective. Different, but just as good. He hosted yearly from 1972 .He only missed hosting two shows due to the stroke he suffered, but he still showed up in a special appearance.. I hope Ryan Seacrest appreciates what Mr. Clark did.
I speak as if I knew Mr. Clark personally, but of course I didn't. I just felt like most of America felt. We knew him from him coming into our homes weekly. As my friend Nancy Ball commented on my profiled picture featuring Dick Clark "what a gentle man". I think he was in every sense of the word.
There is not much else I can say except to quote the lyrics written by Barry Manilow to BANDSTAND BOOGIE.
Songwriters: Manilow, Barry; Sussman, Bruce; Albertine, Charles;
"We're goin' hoppin', we're goin' hoppin' today
Where things are poppin' the Philadelphia way
We're gonna drop in on all the music they play
On the bandstand
We're goin' swingin', we're gonna swing in the crowd
And we'll be clingin' and floatin' high as a cloud
The phones are ringin', my mom and dad are so proud
I'm on Bandstand
And I'll jump and hey, I may even show 'em my handstand
Because I'm on, because I'm on the American Bandstand
When we dance real slow I'll show all the guys in the grandstand
What a swinger I am, I am on American Bandstand
We're goin' hoppin', we're goin' hoppin' today
Where things are poppin' the Philadelphia way
We're gonna drop in on all the music they play
On the Bandstand
Bandstand, Bandstand, Bandstand
Bandstand, Bandstand, Bandstand
Hey I'm makin' my mark, gee, this joint is jumpin'
(From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/b/barry-manilow-lyrics/bandstand-boogie-lyrics.html)
They made such a fuss just to see us arrive
Hey it's Mr.Dick Clark, what a place you've got here
Swell spot, the music's hot here, best in the east
Give it at least a seventy five
Now for all you Joe's, here goes my American handstand
Because I'm on, because I'm on the American Bandstand
As we dance real slow, I'm showin' the guys on the grandstand
That I like my girl but I love American Bandstand
The singers' croonin', he ain't the greatest but gee
My baby's swoonin' in front of all of TV
So if you tune in, you'll see my baby and me
On the Bandstand
And now we're hoppin' and we'll be hoppin' all day
Where things are poppin' the Philadelphia way
And you can drop in on all the music they play
On the Bandstand
And we'll rock and roll and stroll on American
Lindy hop and slop, it's American
Tune in, I'm on, turn on, I'm in, I'm on
Today, Bandstand"
Rest in peace Mr. Clark and give Elvis and Jim Morrison a hug, I'm sure they will be happy to see your familiar face.
With much respect
Pam Beattie-Shore
