Phil Collins, Elton John, and Gloria Estefan dominated Adult Contemporary radio back in the 1980s and '90s, yet have disappeared from modern radio. Seemingly, the only time you ever hear them is at the grocery store or your local CVS. This blog remembers the music, the stories and the quirky characters from my days working in Adult Contemporary radio.
Tuesday, April 9, 2019
Madonna "Into the Groove"
After school in the mid-1990s, teenagers all across Chicago would run home and turn on Channel 26 to watch U Dance with B96. Yes, a TV show much like American Bandstand that featured teenagers dancing to house music used to air on the low-powered UHF television station WCIU (known as "The U") from 1995-97. Hosted by B96 DJ's Bad Boy Bill, Julian Jumpin' Perez, and Brian "Hit Mix" Middleton, the show aired on the independent TV station whose lineup featured classic shows like The Munsters and Leave It to Beaver. One particular week, word circulated around my high school that an attractive senior named Becky would be dancing on the show. It happened around the same time Sir Mix-A-Lot made "Oh My Gawd, Becky. Look at her butt." a household catchphase thanks to his earworm "Baby Got Back". Becky from high school was a blonde, curvy and attractive girl who was waaaay out of my league. That afternoon, my friends and I raced home to watch Becky bump 'n grind on U Dance, and she didn't disappoint.