WFUN Miami in 1966. Click image to open.
“Perhaps the main contributing factor to the magnitude of Florida’s ‘60s scenes was the interplay between radio and local bands. This cannot be overemphasized. While the Kollektion could appropriately be billed as “WQAM’s own Kollektion,” the same could no doubt be said about WFUN and bands such as the Montells. This band-to-station relationship created a strong identity within the community, something that for the most part is not the case today. No game of “hi-lo”, phone call-in contest or cash giveaway can do a tenth for a station what a local hit can. When a person could walk into a record store and pick up the latest weekly music survey, that person could decide AT THAT VERY MOMENT that he wants to listen to the station in question. Seeing your favorite local band’s name created a feeling of excitement and local pride; it helped not only the band, but the image of the station as well.”
(From Savage Lost, Page 409)
3 comments
Great times. Played in a band called The Cro-Magnons at the time and remember it well. Thank You for the memories.
My band played the Florida band stand regularly we actually opened for Simon and Garfunkel they only had the one at sound of silence that’s so sad North White Beach auditorium and it was us and Dr. T and the undertakers and we were opening for Paul Simon and art Garfunkel Paul Simon asked the promoter if he could talk to me I’m Tony Rosa the drummer if I would play drums for them they did not have a drummer with them at the time so I got to play live on stage with Simon and Garfunkel after only hearing one sound of silence first time I heard homeword bound. Was when I playedplayed ithWas when I played it on stage with them My band that opened for them we were the Pacesetters a regular on Florida band stand
Tony,
I saw that concert with my wife…good drum work!
Dan Chandler (danhuthemail@gmail.com)