Yesterday I saw a post by an old friend, Paula Parham Hinston, about the 3WS Summer Oldies Celebrations at Three Rivers Stadium. The line up for this one particular show had James Brown as the Headliner, Ronnie Spector, Jan & Dean, the Grass Roots Sputzy and the Soul Providers and yours truly, Johnny Angel and the Halos. It was an all-day event with live music outside beginning early afternoon and the atmosphere was … a “Major Party” … an all ages “Celebration” and a stadium filled from the Stage to the Bleachers with Oldies lovin’ happy people. No problems, no metal scanners, no barricades and only $5.00 … one price ticket, general admission no assigned seating! A celebration that the whole family could afford and enjoy. This happened every year for, I think, nine years before moving to Star Lake amphitheater. Each year having a star-studded line up of groups from the 50’s and 60’s … names like … the Four Tops, Frankie Valli, Ben E. King, Chuck Berry, the Vogues, the Skyliners, Lou Christie, Marvelettes, Paul Revere and the Raiders, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, Peter Noone, and the Turtles, just to name a few. I have so many great memories of the celebration … see the photo above … it’s the line up for celebration VII, an autographed, Live at the Apollo EP and a photo with my all-time favorite … “God Father of Soul”, James Brown. That particular day, after performing to a stadium filled, sold out crowd … I had the honors of hanging out with Mr. Brown and a forty + minute interview with the legend! It was a musical memory I will never forget. A little side note … as Mr. Brown was signing my “Live at the Apollo EP” he mentioned to me that he did not have a copy of the record. Showing our Pittsburgh hospitality, I offered to send him a copy … which I did. A few weeks later, he called to let me know he received it and how impressed he was that someone in this business actually followed up with a commitment. The icing on the cake … every year after that, I received a Christmas card from the God Father Of Soul! As I sit here writing and recalling the memories from the 3WS Summer Oldies Celebrations … I wish we could go back to those wild and crazy times!