MOS LIVE! Rock, Roll, and Remember

Rock and Roll and American Bandstand – for many of us of a “certain age” the two are inseparable. The late 50s and early 60s (pre-Beatles) are the years of which I am speaking. Those of us who now find ourselves in our sixties and seventies were teenagers then. Hard to believe, yet it is so!

Not only was Rock and Roll in its early years during that time period, but so also was television. A local program in Philadelphia went national on the ABC network on August 5, 1957 and as they say – the rest is history. Dick Clark, host of the Philadelphia program Bandstand, which was renamed American Bandstand when picked up for national broadcast, became a familiar face and voice to countless teens across the country. The late afternoon time slot of the show on Monday through Friday allowed students time to get home from school and switch on their TVs. It was there the music stars of an entire generation were heard (and seen) as they lip-synched to the hits which were also being heard at other times during the week on 45 rpm records, either played on jukeboxes at local soda fountains or at home on portable phonographs. American Bandstand included a studio audience seated on high school gym-like bleachers and regular dancers from the audience who became minor celebrities in their own right. Teens across America learned the latest dance steps and picked up ideas on clothing and hairstyles by watching their favorite dancers. Another popular feature of the show was when Dick Clark would have studio guests rate the newest records on a scale from 25 to 98 and have them offer comments such as this now famous line – “It’s got a good beat, and you can dance to it.”

Performers like Jerry Lee Lewis, Bill Haley and His Comets, Danny and the Juniors, the Everly Brothers, Neil Sedaka, Del Shannon, Chubby Checker, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, and Leslie Gore all appeared on American Bandstand and on this recording you will hear MOS in its “cover versions” of many of their hits. This collection includes three songs by Elvis Presley, and while Elvis never appeared live on American Bandstand, Dick Clark did record three telephone interviews with Elvis while “The King” was serving in the Army and based in Germany. Those interviews were played on American Bandstand, which helped keep Elvis in front of the public even while he was out of the country and away from the world of entertainment.

Whether you personally remember the early years of Rock and Roll and American Bandstand or not, this is a collection that should bring a smile to your face. We hope you enjoy these hits from the past as much as we enjoyed performing them!

– Michael O’Neal