Zero to 180 – Three Minute Magic

Discoveries of a Pop Music Archaeologist

Category: Bill Doggett

"Ocean Liner (Bossa Nova)"
Zeroto180

Calvin Shields — Musical Pioneer

Hard to believe it was only 20 years or so ago I was having cheese coneys with The Cincinnati Enquirer‘s preeminent music writer Larry Nager and asking what it would take for the city to finally “own up” to its King Records history.  Last week, to my utter delight and

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"Honky Tonk Popcorn"
Zeroto180

The Bill Doggett Centennial Begins Now!

Podcasts are great and all, but nothing compares to the magic & excitement of live radio! A recent exchange with WPFW radio’s Andrea Bray – at Andrea’s Fine Hats in Washington, DC just over the line from Silver Spring – unexpectedly resulted in an invitation to join her on the

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"Honky Tonk"
Zeroto180

Best-Sellers vs. Worst-Sellers

As I was finalizing my recent Bill Doggett piece, I was trying to confirm the “four million” sales figure that is so often attributed (Wikipedia) to his 1956 smash hit, “Honky Tonk” – an extraordinary number for an instrumental, especially in the mid-50s.  Ultimately, I was impelled to wield the

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"Soft"
Zeroto180

Bill Doggett’s “Soft”: Enduring

Bill Doggett and his Hammond organ, in 1957, would breathe (via flute) fresh life into Tiny Bradshaw‘s “Soft” from 1952 – both versions released on King.  Even though Doggett’s “Soft” would ‘only’ peak at #51, Billboard’s “Hot 100 Chart History” indicates this song to have spent 14 weeks on the

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