Plank Road's Regular Events
in conjunction with 2WS
Sing-Around
1st & 3rd Sat. | 2-4 pm
Vocal instrumental jam and sing-along with songbooks and leader.
Country and Western
Sing-Around
4th Sat. | 2-4 pm
Sing along with your favorite C&W songs.
2nd Tuesday Song Circle -- BYOS!
Two Way Street Coffee House
2nd Tues. | 7-9 pm
A monthly opportunity for musicians to perform songs for each other, within a song circle.
Bring Your Own
Song!
Plank Road String Band Practice
630-620-0688
2nd Sat. | 2:00-4:00 pm
An old-time string band practice for intermediate/advanced players.
from Sept to April
Last Thursday Open Mike
Last Thurs. of every month | 7-9:30 pm
A monthly unplugged open mike for high school and college age students only.
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Spring Old-Time Barn Dance!
Come and enjoy a fun-filled evening of music and dancing for the entire family! Our dances are informal, with no costumes needed -- in fact, you don't even have to bring a partner!
The Plank Road String Band will provide lively music, and a caller will walk you through all the dances at our Old-Time Barn Dance -- No Experience Necessary!
Tables will be set up around the edge of the room for visiting with friends and enjoying music between dances.
April 14
8:00 PM - doors open at 7:30 PM
1047 Curtiss St., Downers Grove
(Across from the Public Library)
Save the date!
Saturday, April 14
Stringband Workshop
w/Paul Tyler and Steve Rosen
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Plank Road 2018 Annual Meeting draws big crowd!
An enthusiastic crowd of the usual suspects (and a few newcomers) gathered on January 20 for our annual Plank Road Membership Meeting. As in previous years, the meeting was held at the venerable Log Cabin in Lombard's Four Seasons Park, where we shared an evening of food, fun and music . . .
lots of music, led by the indefatigable George Mattson.
George's celebrated "Georgettes"
couldn't resist joining in!
We call it our "Annual Meeting," but it's really our big winter party - an event for members to celebrate another big year for Plank Road. It's also a time to renew annual memberships, which many folks did.
During the break, president Bob O'Hanlon made a few announcements. He recognized Gary Steffenson's long service as treasurer, and announced Stephen Davis has agreed to take on that role; and that all board members have agreed to serve another
year. It was also announced that we have a new supply of Plank Road t-shirts, plus (drum roll, please) a new official Plank Road hat!
More Log Cabin photos . . .
 
The PRFMS String band was busy in the last couple of months as well.
Feb 10, as part of the Ice Festival, after getting fed up with the pancakes at the Boy Scout fundraiser, they commenced to playin' for their breakfast.
Later that evening, many folks joined in for a Good OleTime Barn Dance.
The following week, they supplied the music for First Church of Lombard Chili Cook Off benefiting the youth mission trip. Our own Kristen Fuller actually won the "Split the Pot" raffle!
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Get Out of Your House -- Go Hear Some Music!
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PRFMS Member Gigs
Amelia Sweet Bluebird
- Rockford, April 28 - Baci's with Victor Sanders 6-9P
- Oak Park, May 12 - Edgar's Place with Tricia Alexander 7:30-9:30
Blind Squirrel
- Frankfort, May 27 - Frankfort Country Market
- Frankfort, September 9 - Frankfort Country Market
Kilty Pleasure
- Lisle, April 22 - Lisle Public Library
- Frankfort, July 1 - Frankfort Country Market
- Frankfort, September 23 - Frankfort Country Market
Lonesome Eagle
- Frankfort, August 5 - Frankfort Country Market
Mark Dvorak
- Schaumburg IL, July 13, 9:30 am - 11:30 am, Ye Olde Schaumburg Centre Farmer's Market, Trickster Gallery, 190 N. Roselle Road
Weed Wackers (Natural Bob Holdsworth, Tom Jaines, Brian Baginski)
- Naperville, May 19 - Kregar's Brats, 7PM
Ruby Slippers (Vicki Ingle + GM Trio)
- St. Charles, June 23 - Monarchs and Milkweed Festival Saturday, from 1 - 4 p.m
Creek Bend Nature Center, LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve, 37W700 Dean St., St. Charles, IL
PRFMS members, drop us a line if you will be appearing locally.
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 Two Way Street Coffee House
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 Maple Street Chapel Folk Concerts
If you are near Lombard, please visit the Maple Street Chapel Folk Concerts website to see a current listing of upcoming performers.
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If you are near Hinsdale, please visit the Acoustic Renaissance website
for a list of upcoming performers.
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For those of you closer to the Wheaton area, please visit the Acorn Coffeehouse located in the Burning Bush Art Gallery at:
216 N. Main St
Wheaton
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Did you know that many of our local libraries also host occasional music events throughout the year? Harpeth Rising, Mark Dvorak, Chris Vallilo, and Lonesome Eagle all have been featured at several of our libraries in the past years.
Lisle Library's Friends of Lisle Library Concerts
are offered on a regular basis. You can check their calendar at:
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The Brashler Barn
Located at 17560 S. Gougar Road, Lockport, IL 60441
Friends and Family Venue - Not a Public Business
No smoking, no alcohol, no pets, no children under 14
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A Special Thanks to our Membership Contributors!!
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Sustaining Artists ($200 - $399)
- George Mattson Trio
Sustaining Member ($200 and higher)
Supporting Members ($50 - $199)
- Dan Anderson
- Bill and Mary Boylan
- Tony Janacek
- Paul and Molly Klonowski
- Ron Kranz
- Dottie and Gerry Lee
- Bill and Sandyha Matthews
- Gregg and Elizabeth Morton
- Bonnie Paulson
- Kristin Rosenwinkel
- Joe and Pam Schumacher
- Jen & James Shilt
- Carol and Fred Spanuello
- Gary and Kathy Steffenson
New Members!
Say Hi to:
- Jennifer Ashley
- John Piha
- Toby Rohowsky
- Kristin Rosenwinkel
- Joel Simpson
If you would like to become a member or just need to renew, here is a link to the renewal form that you can print and mail.
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You've been to the Two Way Street Coffee House. Have you ever looked at the folks behind the counter and said, "I know how to make coffee! I'll betcha I could do that!"
All you have to do is contact Tim Kendall.
Timothy Kendall
Director
Two Way Street Coffee House
cell 630-699-2974
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Here is a list of the top 10 most played bluegrass songs as of 4/1 from - Bluegrass Today
- SIDELINE - Thunder Dan
- DAVE ADKINS W/LARRY CORDLE - Blood Feud (Hatfields & McCoys)
- MILAN MILLER - Coon Dog Cemetery
- VOLUME 5 - Now That's A Song
- HIGHLAND TRAVELERS - The Little Tennessee
- TERRY BAUCOM'S DUKES OF DRIVE - Rainy Day Blues
- AMANDA COOK - Caleb Meyer
- DALE ANN BRADLEY - This Is My Year For Mexico
- STEVE GULLEY & NEW PINNACLE - I'm All Right
- DONNA ULISSE - Without Trouble Please
- ALFONSO PONTICELLI & SWING GITAN
- Black Cat, White Cat/Puttin' on the Ritz/I Love Paris
If you have come across some new or little known artists that you think others might enjoy, please
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What's on your mind?
Do you have ideas for future articles? Things you'd like to see in the newsletter? Ways we can make it more enjoyable and relevant to Plank Road members? Here's your chance to be "note
-worthy." Just send us an email with your comments about QuarterNotes. We welcome your input!
We may publish some of your comments and always appreciate ideas. (Think of it as sort of a "letters to the editor.")
Please send all correspondence to: PlankRoadFolk@Hotmail.com
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Bob O'Hanlon - President
(630) 325-7764
Bill Lemos - VP, Secretary
2018 Board Members
- Dave Humphreys
- Kristen Fuller
- Jennifer Shilt
- Jim Gilroy
- Dottie Lee
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QuarterNotes Contributors
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Stephen Davis
Bob O'Hanlon
Bill Lemos
and thanks to the numerous folks who took and shared their photos!!!
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President's Message
April, 2018
Hopefully, we will see spring weather soon; winter seems reluctant to give up. But, to paraphrase Benjamin Franklin about the mail carriers, nothing can keep Plank Road from completing our scheduled music sessions. So, please come join us.
As many of you know, I am a lover of song lyrics, and my daughter recently sent me an interview she had seen with John Prine. He was asked to name his favorite line or lyric from one of his songs, and I thought, one line? One phrase or couplet? From John Prine? That would be like asking Shakespeare for his favorite line of dialog or Bob Hope his favorite wise crack. But Mimi and I started quoting some Prine lyrics, probably 40 or 50, then looked at what he had selected. His choice is below.
We will be sponsoring a music workshop April 14, featuring string band type music, which can benefit all of us who play a stringed instrument. Scroll down and to the left for details.
I hope to see you all soon at one of our many regular events. And, keep the faith, sunshine and flowers are coming.
Bob O'Hanlon
President
John Prine's favorite song lyric is from a very early hit of his, Sam Stone. The words are "there's a hole in Daddy's arm, where all the money goes; Jesus Christ died for nothing, I suppose".
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SPOTLIGHT: QuarterNotes Historical Archives
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33 years of Plank Road history
. . . now archived on our website!
As Dave Humphreys was "downsizing" and clearing out years of accumulated Plank Road and Two Way Street memorabilia, he came across a collection of old newsletters - some a bit worse for wear, due to many years of storage. Not wanting to throw them out, yet not quite sure what to do with them, he presented them to us. We weren't sure what to do with them either, but realized their historical significance.
Then Dottie Lee stepped forward, recruited her husband Gerry, and the two of them scanned every issue and loaded them into the Plank Road website. And
now we have a fascinating archive that gives us a peek back at the history of Plank Road.
The first issue we have was published a little over 33 years ago, in January, 1985. Here's what the opening statement said: "The Plank Road Folk Music Society has been formed. The legalities of filing the necessary papers for non-profit status have been performed. We're ready to roll! Our officers have been elected. They include Ray Kursk of Westmont as President, Marianne Mohrhusen as Recording Secretary and David Reynolds as Treasurer."
The issue included a long interview with Tom and Anne Jones, reflecting the tremendous influence the Jones Family had on folk music in the western suburbs and on Plank Road itself.
The early issues were somewhat "primitive" This was, after all, well before the age of computer-generated text and graphics. The pages appear to include a combination of hand-drawn headlines and illustrations, and columns of typewritten
text (as in that ancient instrument called a "typewriter"), which were pasted onto pages, and then photo-copied.
Early newsletters contained much of the same information as our current online newsletter, such as listings of upcoming events, concerts, workshops, meetings and other activities. But also included was information about classes, interviews with area artists, tips and techniques, even song sheets complete with tablature.
Back in the late 1980s, memberships were just $5. Family memberships were $9, and a Contributing Membership was $25 which included a free Plank Road t-shirt.
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Some "humor" from the Fall 1988 issue:
Alternative uses for your little-used instruments.
Harmonica: The mouth harp is the instrument of choice for those interested in prolonged oxygen deprivation. To use the harmonica in gardening, take one end of a garden hose, press it against one side of the harmonica and you've made a hand-held water sprinkling system.
Banjo: The banjo is the only instrument with limited application outside the realm of music. It is functional and well-suited for stamping out grease fires.
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By the 1990s, with Cathy Jones as editor, the look of the newsletter had improved considerably. After 2000, we start to see the influence of computers in the design of the newsletter.
In 2007 Vicki Ingle took over as editor and writer of QuarterNotes -- with Jen Shilt finding creative ways to fit Vicki's articles, plus all the photos, ads and announcements into a beautiful format. Over the years it became an exceptional publication for a small organization such as ours. With her in-depth
interviews, articles about local artists and events, plus her obvious love of music, Vicki brought QuarterNotes to a new standard.
Eventually, after 7 years, the demands of time caused Vicki to pass the baton to others. Plus, the costs (and time) necessary to print and mail hard copies of the newsletter became too much. So the board decided it was time to downsize, simplify the content and go digital -- and in the autumn of 2014 we published our last hard copy.
Today QuarterNotes is written primarily by Bill Lemos and Stephen Davis, with contributions by Bob O'Hanlon, Andy Malkewicz and others. Stephen has the often-daunting task of gathering all the articles, photos, announcements, schedules and ads, and formatting then into our online newsletter app.
So if you find yourself with nothing to do on a rainy day, log on to the website and check out some of our historical newsletters from the past! (And special thanks to Dottie and Gerry Lee for their efforts in archiving these documents.)
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With a Little Help From our Friends!
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Country Sing-Around Update
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Can't get enough of that classic country music?
Our popular Country & Western Sing-Around is now a monthly event!
What started as an experiment by Bob O'Hanlon has become a popular monthly event. About two years ago Bob, a die-hard country music fan, suggested we take advantage of the occasional "fifth Saturdays" that occur each year and offer a sing-around featuring classic country songs by the likes of Johnny Cash, Buck Owens, Waylon Jennings, Kitty Wells, Glen Campbell, Hank Williams and others. So Bob, Andy
Malkewicz and Bill Lemos gathered some of country music's greatest hits and put together a songbook.
The "5th Saturday Sing-around," as it came to be known, was much like our regular Saturday sing-arounds, but featured country songs. It proved to be popular, although it only happened 4 or 5 times a year. So when the decision was made to cancel the monthly Bluegrass Jams, Bob saw an opportunity to expand the event - and the Plank Road board agreed to use those 4th Saturday slots for the C&W sing-around.
New songbooks!
Now that the event is monthly, Bob, Andy and Bill realized the songbooks would have to be expanded. So a brand new book was created with over 120 songs. And because many members also enjoy bluegrass, a number of popular bluegrass tunes are included as well. (Special thanks to Andy for his many hours downloading and formatting the music, and printing copies.)
Bob O'Hanlon and Andy Malkewicz
Join us for some down-home fun every 4th Saturday!
A love of classic country music -- and enthusiasm -- are the only requirements. Just bring your voice and/or an instrument (if you want) -- all levels are welcome. (A little vocal twang is always welcome, but not necessary!) Sing-arounds are at 2 PM on the 4th Saturday of the month, at the Two Way Street Coffee House.
What about those 5th Saturdays?
The board is looking at possible options for the 5th Saturday slots - more information to follow!
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PRFMS Merchandise
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A tip-of-the-hat to Plank Road!
Official cap and new t-shirts added to list of Plank Road merchandise.
OK, it's been a couple of years ... you've asked for it, you've said we need more, and now it's here: More Plank Road merch!
Specifically, a new order of t-shirts, which had been sold out for months, plus a brand new item to "top off" your Plank Road wardrobe. Yes, it's the long-awaited PRFMS baseball cap, or, as we like to call it, a
really cool hat.
But wait, there's more! Along with the hats and t-shirts, we still have Plank Road tote bags, sport bottles and guitar case stickers.
- Hats $15
- T-shirts $15
- Tote Bags $3
- Sport Bottles $5
- Stickers $1
Plank Road doesn't make any money on these items -- we sell them at our cost, give-or-take a few cents. They're offered to members to show our pride in Plank Road . . . and to help spread the word by getting our name out the
re.
Items will be available at many Plank Road events, or you can contact Bill Lemos directly at lemos.bill@comcast.net.
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From the National Barn Dance to Dick Biondi
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WLS - Chicago Powerhouse of Radio
A little history and such . . .
By Andy Malkewicz
 An experimental broadcast in 1906 by a man named Reginald Fessenden is considered the birth of AM radio, but had minimal use early-on. The first commercial station in the world with regular broadcasts began on May 20, 1920, on XWA in Montreal, Quebec. KDKA in Pittsburgh was the first US station.
Most AM stations operated between 250 Watts, and 50,000 Watts. AM radio waves (medium and short wave) act differently during the day and evening hours. During the day, AM signals travel by ground, and diffract with the curvature of the earth traveling at most, a few hundred miles. After dark, changes in the ionosphere cause the signal to travel skyward, enabling a much greater distance that it can travel. As a result, many stations were required to greatly reduce their nighttime broadcast power. Some stations also got preferential "clear-channel' treatment which means that in the US, only one or a few stations are licensed to broadcast at that frequency.
WLS - the beginning
In the early 1920's Sears Roebuck & Company bought radio time to target their lucrative farming market. They started their own station, and on March 21,1924, they began broadcasting as station WBBX from the WMAQ studios. A week later they moved to their own 500 watt studio as WES (World's Economy Store) and on their first test night featured a singer, and a comedy team.
Several nights later they began regular broadcasting with Ethel Barrymore saying (about the microphone), "turn that damned thing off!" On that evening, they changed the station call to WLS (World's Largest Store) with a station slogan of "Bringing the World to the Farm." A week later (April 19, 1924), the first National Barn Dance went on the air as a 4-hour cavalcade of music, comedy and entertainment. By 1932, it was cut to 2 hours, and was broadcast live from the 8th Street Theater. WLS became a training ground fostering teams that would go on to become Amos & Andy, and Fiber McGee & Molly, and
more.
On September 15, 1928 the Agricultural Broadcasting Company, owned and operated by the Prairie Farmer, bought the station and started doing twice-daily live market reports (state of the art) from the Union Stock Yards.
WLS had a small crew covering the landing of the Hindenburg at Lakehurst NJ, when it burst into flames. They had experimented with field recordings, and had to evade German SS officers, before they could return to Chicago, and air the recordings.
In 1932, they were licensed to increase their power to 50,000 watts, but still shared the 870 kHz frequency. They moved to the 890kHz frequency March 29, 1941.
From the National Barn Dance to rock 'n roll . . .
The brainchild of Edgar L. Bill, the first broadcast of the National Barn Dance was an impromptu program, resulting in an avalanche of telephone calls and letters, indicating there was a demand. The show regularly featured star-studded names: Gene Autry, Red Foley, LuluBelle & Scotty, Pat Buttram, George Goebel, The Williams Brothers (Andy Williams), the Hoosier Hotshots, Patsy Montana, and many more.
In 1925, George D. Hay (the Solemn Ole Judge) who worked in the Barn Dance, brought the idea down to Nashville and created the Grand Ole Opry. By 1931 the show was moved to the 8th Street Theater, on Wabash & 8th. WLS had no idea about attendance, and thousands showed up to fill the 1200-seat theater for their 7:30pm, and 10:00pm shows. Crowds got larger, and shows were sold out 8 weeks in advance. In 1932 NBC picked up the program, and aired it on 30 stations nationally. By the 1950s audiences began to wane, and live performances ended, but continued to air until 1960, when WLS became a rock station.
Competition!
WIND (560AM) was one of the first stations to play rock and roll with perhaps the first celebrity DJ, Howard Miller. He started at WIND in 1947, and was one of their top money producers due to his huge following, of mainly women. Howard was so popular that WIND allowed him do a daily ½-hour morning record show on WBBM, and a 1-hour afternoon show on WMAQ. From ~1956 to 1960, WIND DJ'S hosted Sunday record hops (75¢ admission), and various venues with performers ranging from Little Richard, to Connie Frances and Jackie DeShannon. Other Chicago
stations on the rock band wagon were WJJD, and WGN in the evening hosted by Wally Phillips.
The Bright New Sound of WLS 
At 6:00 am May 2, 1960 Mort Crowley kicked off WLS, the newly acquired ABC R&R-Top 40 station, with "Alley-Oop" by the Hollywood Argyles -- 4 weeks before it made the Billboard Hot 100. According to Clark Weber, they ran that song for 24 hours. Their first DJ's were Mort, Bob Hale, Gene Taylor, Jim Dunbar, and the legendary Dick Biondi. Dick made the first US play of a Beatles record, "Please Please Me," on February 8, 1963. The WLS Silver Dollar Survey became available at record stores and other locations beginning October 14, 1960, and continued with various name changes through March 13, 1972.
Dick Biondi . . . the legend
Dick's first big radio gig was in Buffalo in the 1958s, and could sometimes be heard even in Europe. In a 1988 interview, he relates that he'd been fired 23 time due to jokes, temper, etc. In Buffalo he jokingly described his boss's car, asked his listeners to throw rocks at it, and someone complied. Firing #1. He was amongst the first DJ's to play Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, and many R&B artists. While in LA, he introduced the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones at the Hollywood Bowl. In his many gigs, he had local appearances with the likes of Fabian, Paul Anka, Bobby Darin, and so on.
At WLS his first night on the air, May 2, 1960, he took collect calls from anywhere in the US. The calls came in from across the country, and even a few ships at sea. WLS became a hit-making station, and Biondi became the most popular DJ in the Midwest -- and perhaps across the US.
On the air, he played well-loved oldies, as well as songs soon to be hits. He was a jokester too, with many "knock knock" jokes, and his recurrent songs of "There's a Fungus Among Us" and his own "On Top of a Pizza." Due to his popularity, the number of commercials on his show became untenable. He literally got in a fight (per Clark Weber) with program manager Gene Taylor; was told to go home and cool off. He interpreted that as being fired, and eventually moved to KRLA, the #1 Top 40 in LA.
He came back to Chicago's WCFL in 1967. From 1972 on, he worked in various cities, but returned to Chicago to stay in 1984, to launch oldies station WJMK, where he remained until 2005, when they switched formats. Biondi has worked in Chicago radio since.
In 1961, he was named Gavin Top 40 DJ of the Year: 1966, Billboard's most popular late evening DJ; 1995, an exhibit in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame; 2011, Buffalo Broadcasters Hall of Fame; May1, 2010 was the Illinois official Dick Biondi Day; and the Chicago City Counsel named a street "Dick Biondi Way".
Evolution to Talk Radio
In the mid to late 60s WCFL became a Top 40 station, and WLS began getting some major competition. By the mid-70s they were labeled (by promoters) as the World's
Last Station to play new releases. As ratings declined (1985) they began talk radio at night, and went to
all talk in 1989. The last DJ (Phil Duncan) played the last song ("Just You 'n Me"), and the last voice heard was inadvertent by an engineer saying "Good night."
By 1992, ratings were so low, management was planning on selling the station. Plans changed, and ratings grew throughout the 1990s with regular top 10 ratings. n 2007, ABC sold WLS to Citadel, which was acquired by Cumulus. In 2015 they aired White Sox Games, and in 2016-17 the Bulls. In 2017 it became an NBC news affiliate returning Bob Sirott to WLS for the first time since 1983.
There are many books and websites with a wealth of info and fun about early radio, WLS, the Prairie Farmer, the National Barn Dance, WLS 60s DJ's, and even the WLS Silver Dollar Survey. Enjoy! PS: This was supposed to be a short article, and much was omitted. Maybe more another time.
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Trivia Quiz:
Answers to previous Quiz:
- Hoyt Axton's mother co-wrote "Heartbreak Hotel." Hoyt wrote or co-wrote the others.
- Steve Goodman went to school with Hillary Clinton at Maine East High.
NEW Trivia Quiz:
- What composer combined music from Europe and the rhythmic beats of the field workers together to create ragtime?
- What early folk song writer changed Baptist hymns to verses about ongoing labor struggles?
- Who is considered the creator of "scat" singing?
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