The Year is 1969 and the Month is January

Looking back to January 1969 with Vietnam going at full force with over 550,000 troops serving in the southeast Asian country, my most vivid memory was the Rose Bowl game played on January 1st.  The grand daddy of all bowl games featured #1 Ohio State against #2 University of Southern Cal with running back O.J, Simpson.  The Ohio State Buckeyes had Rex Kern at quarterback, a graduate from Lancaster High School of Lancaster, Ohio.  When the dust had settled the Trojans had five turnovers, two by Simpson, as the Buckeyes rolled over the Trojans 27-16.  Kern was named player of the game. 

On January 12, Super Bowl III was played and quarterback Joe Namath, predicted his Jets would defeat the heavily favored Baltimore Colts.  Namath lived up to his prediction as the Jets stunned the odds makers and the Colts 16-7.

The Top Ten TV shows for the 68-69 season were;

1. Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In

2. Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.

3. Bonanza

4. Mayberry R.F.D.

5. Family Affair

6. Gunsmoke

7. Julia

8. The Dean Martin Show

9. Here's Lucy

10. The Beverly Hillbillies

 

The #1 song for the entire month of January 1969 was Marvin Gaye's I Heard It Through the Grapevine. This great song with one of the best voices in Motown history actually spent 7 weeks at #1.  It peaked on December 14, 1968 and remained there throughout the remainder of December and  the month of January.

 

Other great songs from the month of January were:  Crimson and Clover/Tommy James & The Shondells, I'm Gonna Make you Love Me/Diana Ross & Supremes & The Temptations, B.J. Thomas' singing Hooked on a Feeling, Brooklyn Bridge's Worst that Could Happen and Elvis with If I Could Dream plus so many more outstanding sounds from the month of January 1969

 

On The 60s Official Site, on our monthly show  Soundtrack of the 60s, DJ Neal Stevens plays the popular songs from this month January 1969.  These are the songs you listened to on the radio back then.  You can listen to it now by clicking here.  This popular show and great music will remain on the website until February 1 when we will zoom back to another year with a featured month of February.