The day of the Pumpkin, Halloween is approaching and I would be remiss if I didn't mention this so called celebration here in my 60s official blog. Have you ever wondered when we started celebrating Halloween and trick or treating? I remember my grandmother talking about it so it has been around for many years.

The observance of Halloween, which dates back to Celtic rituals thousands of years ago, has long been associated with images of witches, ghosts, devils and hobgoblins. In the United States, the first official citywide Halloween celebration occurred in Anoka, Minn., in 1921. Over the years, Halloween customs and rituals have changed dramatically. Today, many of the young and "young-at-heart" take a more light-spirited approach. They don scary disguises or ones that may bring on smiles when they go door-to-door for treats or attend or host a Halloween party.

Of course with Halloween there comes haunting, pranks, and so forth.

The musical industry did not miss the opportunity to add their touch to this ritual that falls on the last day of October which back in medieveal times was New Years Eve. The New Year began on November 1. There were so many songs that came out to add to the Halloween theme. The list of top songs includes not only the top ones from the 60s era but other eras as well. As a scary thing here on a 60s site. I am going to mention them as well. Here is the list of the top Halloween songs of all time.

1. Monster Mash by Bobby "Boris" Pickett" (1962) #1 Hit
2. Haunted House by "Jumpin'" Gene Simmons (1964)
3. Thriller by Michael Jackson (1984)
4. Ghostbusters by Ray Parker Jr. (1984) #1 Hit
5. (Ghost) Riders in the Sky by the Ramrods (1961)
6. Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon (1978)
7. Devil Went Down to Georgia by Charlie Daniels Band (1979)
8. I Put A Spell on You by Creedence Clearwater Revival (1969)
9. The Blog by The Five Blobs (1958)
10. Purple People Eater by Sheb Wooley (1958) #1 Hit
11. Frankenstein by Edgar Winter Group (1973) #1 Hit
12. (Don't Fear) The Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult (1976)
13. People Are Strange by The Doors (1967)
14. Highway to Hell by AC/DC (1979)
15. Martian Hop by the Ran-Dells (1963)
16. The Legend of Wooley Swamp by Charlie Daniels Band (1980)
17. Porterville by Creedance Clearwater Revival (1969)
18. Dead Man's Party by Oinko Boinko (1985)
19. It's Halloween by The Shaggs (1980)
20. Zombie Jamboree by Rockapella (2001)

If you can think of anymore post them here on my blog.

Have a great day and Happy Halloween!

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It's Your Lucky Day! Friday the 13th.

Today is Friday the 13th. It is suppose to be an unlucky day. The modern reason for this is said to come from Friday October the 13th, 1307. On this date, the Pope of the church in Rome in conjunction with the King of France, carried out a secret death warrant Against "the Knights Templar". The Templars were terminated as heretics, never again to hold the power that they had held for so long. There Grand Master, Jacques DeMolay, was arrested and before he was killed, was tortured and crucified.

Some of the Friday the 13th superstitions throughout the world and even here in the U.S. seem so outrageous.

It is said: If 13 people sit down to dinner together, all will die within the year. The Turks so disliked the number 13 that it was practically expunged from their vocabulary (Brewer, 1894). Many cities do not have a 13th Street or a 13th Avenue. Many buildings don't have a 13th floor. If you have 13 letters in your name, you will have the devil's luck (Jack the Ripper, Charles Manson, Jeffrey Dahmer, Theodore Bundy and Albert De Salvo all have 13 letters in their names). There are 13 witches in a coven.

It is said: Never change your bed on Friday; it will bring bad dreams. Don't start a trip on Friday or you will have misfortune. If you cut your nails on Friday, you cut them for sorrow. Ships that set sail on a Friday will have bad luck – as in the tale of H.M.S. Friday ... One hundred years ago, the British government sought to quell once and for all the widespread superstition among seamen that setting sail on Fridays was unlucky. A special ship was commissioned, named "H.M.S. Friday." They laid her keel on a Friday, launched her on a Friday, selected her crew on a Friday and hired a man named Jim Friday to be her captain. To top it off, H.M.S. Friday embarked on her maiden voyage on a Friday, and was never seen or heard from again. How about that for circumstances?

Some say Friday's bad reputation goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden.
It was on a Friday, supposedly, that Eve tempted Adam with the forbidden fruit. Adam bit, as we all learned in Sunday School, and they were both ejected from Paradise. Tradition also holds that the Great Flood began on a Friday; God tongue-tied the builders of the Tower of Babel on a Friday; the Temple of Solomon was destroyed on a Friday; and, of course, Friday was the day of the week on which Christ was crucified. It is therefore a day of penance for Christians.

More Fascinating Facts about Friday the 13th

In French Lick Springs, Indiana, a law was once passed requiring all black cats to wear bells.
Greek philosophers called 13 an 'imperfect' number.
Friday was the common day for people to be hanged in the past.
Hangmen were once paid thirteen pence halfpenny.
Some Texans say never to cut any kind of garment on a Friday because it will not be completed.
Many hotels have no room number 13
Many airplanes do not have a 13th row.

Have a great day! Aren't you glad we only have three Fridays 13 a year?

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Hang on Sloopy Becomes a Number One Hit October 1, 1965

Hang on Sloopy became a number one hit in the U.S. this date in 1965. I was a senior in high school when it became a hit and remember the buzz the lyrics caused. My buddies and I thought the lyrics were suggestive so we kind of added our own meaning to the song.

The founding members of the McCoys were Ohio born. (Celina, Ohio) They lived in Galena Ohio until around 1960 and moved to nearby Fort Recovery, Indiana. There Rick Zehringer and his brother Randy meet Dennis Kelly whom Rick teaches bass guitar. Their musical group the Rick Z Combo is formed in 1962. Problems getting gigs arise due to the name of the group. Many booking agencies identified the name as a jazz quartet. Their name was later changed to Rick and The Raiders which they developed a large following. They performed at dances and covered all the latest hits and dance crazes. They actually became good. They released their only single "You Know That I Love You"/What Can I Do" (Sonic 76234)

Keyboardist Ronnie Brandon comes aboard making the group now a quartet. Later Dennis Kelly leaves for college and is replaced by Randy Hobbs on bass.

In July 1965 they were one of the opening groups for The Strangeloves, who were riding high on their hit, "I Want Candy." Shortly after that Rick and The Raiders were offered a recording contract and became The Real McCoys and later just The McCoys.

The quartet became a highly popular attraction throughout America's Midwest, and gained the attention of producers Feldman/Gottherer/Goldstein who brought them to Bert Berns' "Bang Records". The group's very first release was a simple, hard driving tune called "Hang On Sloopy", which shot to the top of the U.S. charts and reached the top 5 in the UK in the summer of 1965. That same year, John Tagenhorst, then an arranger for the Ohio State University Marching Band, created the band's now-famous arrangement of "Sloopy," first performed at the Ohio State-Illinois football game on October 9, 1965.

In 1985 Hang on Sloopy became the official rock song of the state of Ohio.

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