Pop Chronicles
Encyclopedia
The Pop Chronicles are two radio documentary
series which together "may constitute the most complete audio history of 1940s-60s popular music
." Both were produced by John Gilliland
.
, the Pop Chronicles of the 1950s and 1960s was originally produced at KRLA 1110 and first aired on February 9, 1969. John Gilliland
narrated the series along with Sie Holliday
and Thom Beck
(pictured). Also performing interviews were Dick LaPalm, Lew Irwin
, Harry Shearer
, Mike Masterson, and Richard Perry
. The show's brief recurring theme song “The Chronicles of Pop” was written and performed by Len Chandler
. The engineer and associate producer of the series was Chester Coleman.
KRLA 1110 originally broadcast an hour a week of the Pop Chronicles, which were later syndicated and broadcast on Armed Forces Radio. The photo above indicates that it was broadcast on KABC-FM sometime before that station became KLOS
.
The University of North Texas
Music Library has made the Pop Chronicles available online.
and broadcast on KSFO (AM)
while he worked there beginning in 1972 and 1976. This was also syndicated and broadcast on AFRTS. In 1994, an edited version was released as the four cassette audiobook Pop Chronicles the 40's: The Lively Story of Pop Music in the 40's. This was later rereleased as The Big Band Chronicles.
After his death, Gilliand's sister donated the Pop Chronicles tapes to the University of North Texas
Music Library where they form The John Gilliland Collection.
Radio documentary
A radio documentary or feature is a purely acoustic performance devoted to covering a particular topic in some depth, usually with a mixture of commentary and sound pictures. It is broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD...
series which together "may constitute the most complete audio history of 1940s-60s popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
." Both were produced by John Gilliland
John Gilliland
John Sanford Gilliland, Jr. was an American radio broadcaster and documentarian best known for the Pop Chronicles music documentaries and as one of the original members of The Credibility Gap. He was born and died in his hometown of Quanah, Texas...
.
The Pop Chronicles of the 50s and 60s
Inspired by the Monterey Pop FestivalMonterey Pop Festival
The Monterey International Pop Music Festival was a three-day concert event held June 16 to June 18, 1967 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California...
, the Pop Chronicles of the 1950s and 1960s was originally produced at KRLA 1110 and first aired on February 9, 1969. John Gilliland
John Gilliland
John Sanford Gilliland, Jr. was an American radio broadcaster and documentarian best known for the Pop Chronicles music documentaries and as one of the original members of The Credibility Gap. He was born and died in his hometown of Quanah, Texas...
narrated the series along with Sie Holliday
Sie Holliday
Sie Holliday was the radio name of Shirley Schneider . She was a Los Angeles radio personality at KRLA 1962–76 and KMPC 1976–78.- Notes :...
and Thom Beck
Thom Beck
Thom Beck was a founding member of The Credibility Gap while at KRLA 1110 radio, where he also narrated part of the Pop Chronicles. He is deceased.-Links:* * [ The Credibility Gap] from allmusic-References:...
(pictured). Also performing interviews were Dick LaPalm, Lew Irwin
Lew Irwin
Lew Irwin has been a Los Angeles-based journalist for more than 50 years. He was the original anchor/reporter at KABC-TV from 1957–1962 and the news director of Los Angeles radio stations KPOL, KRLA, KDAY, and KNX-FM...
, Harry Shearer
Harry Shearer
Harry Julius Shearer is an American actor, comedian, writer, voice artist, musician, author, radio host and director. He is known for his long-running role on The Simpsons, his work on Saturday Night Live, the comedy band Spinal Tap and his radio program Le Show...
, Mike Masterson, and Richard Perry
Richard Perry
Richard Perry is an American music producer. Perry began as a performer in his adolescence, but shifted gears after graduating college and rose through the late 1960s and early 1970s to become a highly successful and popular record producer with over a dozen gold records to his credit by 1982...
. The show's brief recurring theme song “The Chronicles of Pop” was written and performed by Len Chandler
Len Chandler
Len Hunt Chandler, Jr. , better known as Len Chandler, is a folk musician from Akron, Ohio.-Biography:He showed an early interest in music and began playing piano at age 8. Studying classical music in his early teens, he learned to play the oboe so he could join the high school band, and during...
. The engineer and associate producer of the series was Chester Coleman.
KRLA 1110 originally broadcast an hour a week of the Pop Chronicles, which were later syndicated and broadcast on Armed Forces Radio. The photo above indicates that it was broadcast on KABC-FM sometime before that station became KLOS
KLOS
KLOS is an FM rock music radio station based in Los Angeles, California, that debuted in 1969. The station is owned by Cumulus Media. It is home to the nationally broadcast Mark & Brian radio show, and Off The Record host Uncle Joe Benson.-History:...
.
The University of North Texas
University of North Texas
The University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
Music Library has made the Pop Chronicles available online.
The Pop Chronicles of the 40s
The Pop Chronicles of the 1940s was produced by John GillilandJohn Gilliland
John Sanford Gilliland, Jr. was an American radio broadcaster and documentarian best known for the Pop Chronicles music documentaries and as one of the original members of The Credibility Gap. He was born and died in his hometown of Quanah, Texas...
and broadcast on KSFO (AM)
KSFO (AM)
KSFO is a conservative talk radio station in San Francisco, California, USA, broadcasting on 560 kHz AM. It is owned by Cumulus Media.The content of the KSFO's talk programming is solidly conservative, which is in stark contrast to the rather liberal San Francisco area, with show hosts such as Rush...
while he worked there beginning in 1972 and 1976. This was also syndicated and broadcast on AFRTS. In 1994, an edited version was released as the four cassette audiobook Pop Chronicles the 40's: The Lively Story of Pop Music in the 40's. This was later rereleased as The Big Band Chronicles.
After his death, Gilliand's sister donated the Pop Chronicles tapes to the University of North Texas
University of North Texas
The University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
Music Library where they form The John Gilliland Collection.
Online sources
- The Pop Chronicles audio at the University of North TexasUniversity of North TexasThe University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
Music Library - The Pop Chronicles Presents The Forties originally broadcast Sunday, November 5, 1972
- Index to Interviews at The John Gilliland Collection at the University of North TexasUniversity of North TexasThe University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
Music Library - Los Angeles Radio People, B
- Los Angeles Radio People, G
- The Man on the Beat: John Gilliland and The Pop Chronicles, 2008 Association for Recorded Sound CollectionsAssociation for Recorded Sound CollectionsThe Association for Recorded Sound Collections as stated on their website, was "founded in 1966 [and] is a non-profit organization dedicated to research, study, publication, and information exchange surrounding all aspects of recordings and recorded sound."...
conference presentation by Andrew Justice and Jonathan Thorn (audio).
Print sources
- Gilliland, John. "On Chronicling Pop." in Los Angeles radio people: Volume 2, 1957-1997, by Don Barrett. Imprint Valencia, CA: db Marketing, 1997, ISBN 9780965890700. (The pages in this book are not numbered, but Gilliland's essay is located between the E and F entries.)