The Hit Parader

by Frank M. Roberts

December 2016

Okay, admittedly this is for the folks in my age bracket. The phrase is 'senior citizens' and has to do with one of the most popular music magazines of the '40s to the early '80s, mostly the days of the old Hit Parade, and the magazine called, "Hit Parader." Memories-memories.

The publication was introduced in the early 1940s. For most of its life it was filled with the lyrics of the day - the 'daze' before music became so electronic when the instruments often drowned out the stars which, in some cases wasn't a bad idea.

For those who enjoyed music-music, 'Hit Parader' was a dandy thing, publishing lyrics which we could sing along with -- or -- on our own such as is happening today, with folks like Michael Buble (with whom I spent an hour or so, in delight, in an interview). The'40s and '50s were sing-along times.

I have two copies lying around the house. They were kept for ego trips. One profiled me (profiling deejays of the day was a popular offering in the mag) when I was a deejay at WKAL in Rome, N. Y. The other contained stories and pictures of a picnic sponsored by the sweet Miss Patti Page - taken during a picnic she sponsored for jocks in upstate N. Y. and environs. A couple pix featured shots of my smiling face. Many, many moons later, I 're-met' her in Portsmouth, VA. where she was 'concertizing' and, happy to say she remembered, or said she remembered that outdoor gathering where I also met Mitch Miller. At the time, she was married to hubby number two, a nice gentleman, a big improvement over the first hub.

There was, of course, much more to the 'Hit Parader'. The November, 1954 edition I have featured Liberace on the cover. (Speaking of smiling faces, his was in color).

While most of the magazine was devoted to the words of the pop songs of the day, its gossip columns were not to be ignored. One item featured a piece written by Tony Bennett (90-years-old and still going strong at this writing). His fuzzy puppy article was called, "How It Feels To Be A Family Man." Well, since that time, he probably decided - up until the present - that it didn't feel too good.

Along those lines, another tale to make readers feel warm. The article, "Is Eddie Fisher In Love?" mooned about the singer and the late Debbie Reynolds, an allegedly sweet romance that went sour. (Sinatra warned Debbie not to marry a singer. The voice of experience). The article went on to say that Debbie and Eddie were, "two very fine persons who just happened to be in love," proving that the music of the day was superior to the prose of the day.

Hits in that issue included, "Sh-Boom" by the Crew Cuts, "In the Chapel In the Moonlight," by Kitty Kallen, "The Little Shoemaker," by The Gaylords, and "Hey There," by Rosemary Clooney.

There were fan clubs galore for many of the chirpers and that issue of the mag offered the addresses of the presidents of The Hilltoppers, Bill Lawrence, Fisher, The Four Aces, Johnnie Ray, and Vic Damone. There were also clubs for Sandy Solo and Bob Dini - prompting the questions- "who and who?."

A final note on this. I knew Robin Hood. She was a guest at the PPP - Patti Page Picnic. A lovely Brooklyn blonde, she let some ditzy public relations character change her name from Wendy Waye. (A 'way' dumb idea). Unfortunately, her career went to Nowheresville.

The magazine went outta busines following the Dec. 2008 issue. The contents, like the music, just weren't the same. It was a downhill trek. Finally, a musical 'nut note' about the kid who was a basso and, everywhere he went, people said, "there goes that little basso."