This week for Lyrics of Mystery I’m making it simple. Instead of a complex prize or tickets to go see a band you may not like, I’m giving away $50 worth of Washington Lottery Scratch Cards. That’s right, you can scratch your way to happiness thanks to your pal Gary Crow. In fact, should you win some significant cash, remember how it was all made possible. G-A-R-Y C-R-O-W. I’m not saying I need to be awarded the majority of your earnings, but you know, I’d expect the standard rate for somebody who practically gave you a life of luxury.

Also see Crow’s Corner: The Powerball

The brand new facility that just opened last year is getting all kinds of attention from around the world. Some of the exhibits are mind-blowing for car enthusiasts and collectors. Plus, on June 2nd, the Legends of Motorsports; The NASCAR Story opens.

To check out the museum from the interwebs, go to the LeMay website.

Tune in from 2-6 pm for your shot to win the passes!

-Stacy

Having hit it big in England, Jimi Hendrix signed an American record deal today in 1967 with the label started by Frank Sinatra 7 years earlier, Reprise Records. If Frank had been dead yet he would have rolled in his grave at the wild haired flamboyantly dressed electric guitarist being on his label, but he’d sold it to Warner Brothers in 1963. Most Americans were not yet aware of Hendrix, who would burst into the national rock and roll conciousness after his appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival in June.

Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones was at the Great Marlbourough Street Magistrate’s Court today in 1968, answering to charges of marijuana possession. Like bandmates Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, Brian’s arrest had come after tips from conservative elements of the British press, and was highly publicised. He was fined £200 and given a stern warning to never ever take drugs again.

The song Neil Young had written after learning of Ohio National Guard troops opening fire on Vietnam war protesters at Kent State University on May 4th, killing 4 wounding 9 and paralyzing 1, was released by Crosby Stills Nash and Young today in 1970: Ohio the most powerful protest song of all time. Many ”Top 40″ stations on the AM bad refused to play it because of the use of the president’s name, but america’s youth counterculture was already moving to “Underground” music stations on the FM band. David Crosby said that Neil keeping Nixon’s name in the lyrics was “The bravest thing I’d ever heard”.

Free announced they were breaking up…for the first time… today in 1971. They’d recorded their first album in 1968 when bass player Andy Fraser was just 15 years old, lead guitarist Paul Kossoff was 17, and singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke were 18.

Two would-be concert promoters were arrested in New York on fraud charges today in 1974, relating to the tickets they were selling by mail order for an upcoming Elten John concert, which British pianist Elton John knew nothing about. The cops recovered $12,000, which was returned to the spelling challenged fans.

The Clash’s frontman Joe Strummer took exception to an audience member “slam dancing” too violently at a show in Hamburg, Germany tonight in 1980, and hit him with his Fender Telecaster. He was arrested, and later admitted “I nearly murdered somebody. It made me realize you can’t face violence with violence, it doesn’t work”.

David Bowie had his first simultaneous #1 hit on both sides of the Atlantic today in 1983 with Let’s Dance, which sported a blistering guitar solo by Stevie Ray Vaughn.

Rock and Roll Birthdays

English singer Tony Sheridan would be 73, he passed in February. He’s most famous for having The Beatles back him up on their first trip into a recording studio.

Isley Brothers singer Ron Isley is 71.

The Kinks second bass player John Dalton is 70.

The Animals original guitarist Hilton Valentine is 69.

Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers drummer Stan Lynch is 58.

Although the Doors effectively ended in 1971 after the death of Jim Morrison, Manzarek spent a good amount of his life maintaining the band’s legacy. Other than his tours with Doors guitarist Robby Krieger, he also worked on keeping the band’s recorded work in the marketplace through a series of reissues, best-ofs and box sets.  The most recent release was the live concert film, Live At The Bowl ’68, which shows the band at the peak of their powers.

Manzarek was beaming through the phone as he told Radio.com about the show in a late 2012 interview. He said that some of his, and the band’s, favorite artists had played that stage, so it meant a lot for  to be booked at the Hollywood Bowl. “It was momentous. That was the granddaddy of all venues in Southern California. Igor Stravinsky conducted there! The Beatles played there! And we were playing at the same place. But up to that point, very few rock bands played there. We were very honored.”

With their second No. 1 single under their belt (“Hello, I Love You”; the first was “Light My Fire”) the band was on top of the world, having realized all their dreams of becoming rock stars in just a few short years.

“The best laid plans of mice and men had not gone astray yet,” Manzarek mused. “We dreamed of putting a rock and roll band together on Venice Beach in the summer of 1965. This is now the summer of 1968 and we had attained the goal. We wanted to be as big as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, and we had arrived at that place.”

Indeed, at that time, The Doors — Manzarek, Krieger, drummer John Densmore and  Jim Morrison — had a powerful grip on their audience; Manzarek himself exclaimed that, in that moment in 1968, “Those four guys were the four horsemen of the apocalypse!” After the Hollywood Bowl gig, the Doors became even more popular and eventually headlined Madison Square Garden. Had Morrison lived a longer life, would they, like the Stones and Paul McCartney, have upgraded to football stadiums? “I’m not sure if you are still a rock and roll band or if you turn into a circus at that point,” Manzarek said.

However, Manzarek noted that if the Doors had been popular enough, they most likely would have tried to play the largest venues possible: “It would have been a theatrical challenge to do something like that. The Rolling Stones do it on a grand scale. So what would The Doors have done on a grand scale? All things would have been possible, unfortunately Jim didn’t make it.”

Referencing the massive popularity the band still enjoys decades after Morrison’s passing, he said, “The Doors were an underground band, out of the mainstream. That’s where Jim and I always wanted to be.”

Read more at Radio.com. 

– Brian Ives, Radio.com 

Sarah reports on the phenomenon of “crazy ants,” ants that are invading the American South and displacing fire ants. Speaking of ants, Sarah recalls an incident in Florida in which she encountered a bunch of baby alligators, and in scrambling to get away thinking the mama alligator was nearby , she was bitten by fire ants. Danny had an incident with a raccoon that climbed up his arm and jumped off his back. Have you ever had a bizarre encounter with wildlife?

Danny Bonaduce, Life Coach, counsels a man who believes he is being held hostage by a skunk that may have given birth underneath is cabin.

Sarah watched “Grey’s Anatomy” yesterday and thought that McDreamy and Grey may be the best TV couple of all time. Sarah figured Danny wouldn’t agree and thought Danny would pick Ross and Rachel because of his obsession with “Friends,” and he does, but he adds Fred and Ethyl of “I Love Lucy.” Mike Jones trumps them by citing the Huxtables on “The Cosby Show.” Who would you pick as the best TV couple of all time?

All this, and Sarah’s Filthy Forecast, on today’s Danny Bonaduce Show.

Listen to 5:45 to 7:00 a.m. HERE.

Listen to 7:00 to 8:00 a.m. HERE.

Listen to 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. HERE.

Sammy “Red Rocker” Hagar is coming to the Tulalip Resort Casino Ampitheatre August 15 for a 21+ show. We want to get you there on the house!

Did we mention this bad boy is SOLD OUT?

Listen all day Friday for your chance to get in this sold out show. When you hear the phrase, “it’s a free concert from now on,” be caller 10 and you and a bud will be there on August 15. If you don’t end up being an on-air winner, there is still hope! Just text the word “FREE” to “24300” for your second chance to win!

If you do not have texting capabilities, you can enter here.

Good luck, soldiers.

Are you headed to the Fleetwood Mac show tonight at the Tacoma Dome? Yes, you say? Well then. You get to know a juicy piece of summer gossip before the rest of the region.

Tonight we’ll be making a big concert announcement at the KZOK booth in the exhibition center for the show’s pre-party. Yes, yet another major KZOK artist is coming to the Seattle area.

Don’t worry, though, we didn’t leave out those who can’t make it tonight. If you tune into KZOK at 11 pm, we’ll spill the beans over the airwaves.

Any guesses?

JUST IN: Keyboardist Ray Manzarek, a founding member of The Doors, has died at 74, his business manager confirms to @cbsnews

— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 20, 2013

According to the Doors’ Facebook post, at the time of his passing, he was surrounded by his wife Dorothy Manzarek, and his brothers Rick and James Manzarek.

“I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and bandmate Ray Manzarek today,” said Krieger in the post. “I’m just glad to have been able to have played Doors songs with him for the last decade. Ray was a huge part of my life and I will always miss him.” Krieger and Manzarek performed together under a variety of names over the past few years.

Manzarek is survived by his wife Dorothy, brothers Rick and James Manczarek, son Pablo Manzarek, Pablo’s wife Sharmin and their three children Noah, Apollo and Camille. Funeral arrangements are pending. The post says “The family asks that their privacy be respected at this difficult time. In lieu of flowers, please make a memoriam donation in Ray Manzarek’s name at www.standup2cancer.org.”

– Brian Ives, Radio.com 

Jeffrey Nugent wrote a May 17 op-ed about firearms for The Washington Post, where he stresses the need for stronger background checks, a sore spot for the NRA.

He wrote, “I agree with Ted that our constitutional right to bear arms should not be undermined. I want all those who are qualified to purchase a gun to be able to do so. But — and here is where I part ways with my brother — not everyone is qualified to own a gun, so expanded background checks should be a legislative priority.”

The rocker’s brother points out that today, anyone (even a convicted felon) can purchase guns at gun shows or through private sellers without a background check. He asks, “Why would responsible gun owners want to protect people who threaten not only our safety but our gun rights?”

He goes on to say: “The NRA has it wrong: Irresponsible gun owners are bad for everyone. If you shouldn’t have access to a gun, then there should be no way for you to access a gun!”

Ted responded two days later with a post at Newsmax, titled “My Dear Misinformed Brother.”

The crux of his argument is: “Passing expanded background checks would do nothing to curtail or suppress thugs or psychos from accessing weapons and committing mass murder, carjacking, the nightly shootouts in Chicago or a gangsta shooting at the Mother’s Day parade in New Orleans. Paroled thugs or bug-eyed psychotics could not care less about any gun laws.The bold and ugly reality is that they will always gain access to a weapon.”

Read more at Radio.com

Pete Townsend and Roger Daltrey of The Who had waited quite long enough for John Entwhistle and Keith Moon to show up for their gig at the RickyTick Club in suburban London tonight in 1966, and started playing with the drummer and bass player of a local band who opened the show. When John and Keith finally did show up in the middle of their set, a fight broke out that ended with Pete beaning Keith in the head with his guitar. Moon and Entwhistle were so angry the quit the band, but they’d both rejoined within a week.

Bob Dylan and The Band were playing Edinburgh, Scotland tonight in 1966, and a fair number of their fans were still folkie purists, incensed that Dylan had gone electric, and at this show thought it might be fun to try and overpower The Band by playing their own harmonicas.

The Beatles brand new Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album got a special preview on BBC Radio tonight in 1967, with disc jockey Kenny Everett, who played the entire album with the notable exception of the song A Day In The Life, which had been banned by the BBC as they feared it could promote drug-taking.

Chicago’s mild-mannered bass player Peter Cetera was in Los Angeles today in 1969, and decided to take in a Dodger game. He ran into four gung-ho U.S. Marines who took exception to the length of his hair and beat the crap out of him, breaking his jaw and sending him to the hospital for two days.

T-Rex were on the British charts with their fourth and final #1 hit, Metal Guru, today in 1972. Frontman Marc Bolan would die in a car crash 5 years later.

The Buddy Holly Story, a bio-pic starring actor Gary Busey in his finest role as Holly, premiered in Buddy’s hometown of Lubbock, Texas tonight in 1978. Busey was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar, and the soundtrack won the academy award.

The Eagles singing drummer Don Henley married Texas-born model Sharon Summerall today in 1995. It was a big party with a who’s who rock and roll guest list including all of The Eagles, Randy Newman (who Henley just inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame),  and performances from Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Sting, Tony Bennett, and Jackson Browne, Tom Petty, and John Fogerty (who played with Newman at his induction). They’re still married and have 3 kids.

Black Sabbath’s drummer Bill Ward was rehearsing for the band’s reunion tour  in London today in 1998 when he suffered a heart attack and was rushed to a hospital. He recovered and played that tour to the delight of original Sabbath fans, but was booted from their current reunion tour by Ozzy’s manager-wife Sharon Osbourne when he demanded a full 4th of the money.

Rock and Roll Birthdays

Singer Joe Cocker is 69. He was quite popular in England but relatively unknown in the U.S. until the movie of his performance at Woodstock came out.

Singer Cherilyn Sarkisian, better known by her stage name Cher, is 67.

T-Rex bass player Steve Currie would be 66. He died in a car crash at age 33, just 4 years after the band’s frontman Marc Bolan was killed the same way.

Black Oak Arkansas guitarist Jimmy Henderson is 59.

Guitarist Jane Wiedlin of one of the most successful all-female rock bands of all time, The Go Go’s is 55.