Rockin’ & Rollin’ in Cleveland, OH on Valentine’s Day!
Sure we’re going back in the time machine, especially with links to the actual newspaper articles, but here’s a look at Cleveland area Valentine’s Day concerts in 1969, 1970, 1971, and 1976, along with the music, movies, and the autos you may have enjoyed cruising in at the time!
VALENTINE’S DAY 1969 / The Turtles – Savoy Brown Blues Band – Fifth Dimension – Baskerville Hounds /
Area theaters featured Bullitt, The Lion in the Winter, Charly, and Hellfighters with Katharine Ross and John Wayne on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 1969, as John Carroll University brought the Turtles (see Turtles ad) to town ($2, $3, $4); Savoy Brown Blues Band headlined at The Exit in North Ridgeville ($2.50); and the Fifth Dimension opened a weekend stand at Leo’s Casino on Euclid Avenue. Providing a more local flavor, the Roundtable at 242 Superior Ave. hosted a T.G.I.F. dance with outstanding Cleveland rockers the Baskerville Hounds. The following night, Bobby Womack opened for Canton’s O’Jays in Adelbert Gym at Case Western Reserve University.
Following Judy Collins in concert at Severance Hall with WMMS-FM DJ Billy Bass as emcee on February 28th ($3.50-$4 mail order-sponsored by Case-Western Reserve University’s Student Government); on March 2nd, ‘Born to be Wild’ and ‘Magic Carpet Ride’ rocked Music Hall as Steppenwolf (see ad) made its Cleveland debut, with Arlo Guthrie as the opening act ($4, $5, $6 at Burrow’s stores). (Jane Scott’s The Happening for 2/14 – 2/28 – note Steppenwolf appearing on WEWS-TV5’s Upbeat Show).
Top 20 records at the time included Dizzy; Gimme, Gimme Good Lovin; Proud Mary (CCR); Time of the Season; Twenty Five Miles; Hungry Eyes (Merle Haggard); Crimson & Clover; Rock Me (Steppenwolf); Shotgun (Vanilla Fudge); Traces. Local Auto Ads: p. 44 / p. 45 (note a burgundy/black vinyl interior 4-speed ’66 Corvette Stingray with factory AC, AM-FM, power steering, brakes, windows, side mounted exhaust at Hern Olds for only $3,295!)
VALENTINE’S DAY 1970 / The Doors at the Allen Theater /
Plain Dealer rock music critic Jane Scott noted on Saturday, February 14, 1970, “Morrison bounced on stage in black pants and black cardigan, grabbed a maracas and said, “We’re gonna have a good time tonight,” as Jim Morrison and the Doors opened the show with ‘Roadhouse Blues,’ playing ‘Light My Fire’ to two packed houses of 2,800 each at the Allen Theater on Euclid Avenue in Playhouse Square ($5-$6). A third show, starting at 8 p.m., was added at the Allen on the 14th, Valentine’s Day. Eli Radish, ‘”a local group with a Capitol contract,” opened each show. (Jane Scott’s The Happening – Doors ad – Doors review).
The week before, Sly and the Family Stone took Public Hall to a higher level on February 6, 1970 with Savoy Brown ($4, $5); while Lou Rawls brought “his soul song hits” to John Carroll University the next night ($4, $5, $6). (Ads – Rawls). Movies at the time included Valley of the Dolls; Midnight Cowboy; Cactus Flower; Funny Girl; Alice’s Restaurant; Downhill Racer; Easy Rider. Top 20 records included Psychedelic Shack; House of the Rising Sun (Frijid Pink); Arizona; Kentucky Rain; Thank You; The Thrill Is Gone; Venus; No Time; Bridge Over Troubled Water. Local Auto Ads: p. 42 / p. 43.
VALENTINE’S DAY 1971 / The Raspberries at the Cleveland Agora /
On Sunday, February 14, 1971, as Rastus and Underdog played the Chesterland Hullabaloo ($2); Fully Assembled rocked Admiral Bimbo’s on Center Ridge; and Montage headlined at Socrates Cave on E. 18th St.; at Henry LoConti’s Cleveland Agora at 1730 E. 24th St., its Valentine’s Day Dance featured Cleveland’s popular Raspberries with Eric Carmen from 8:30 to 1 a.m. (see Dance Chances / The Happening).
Movies at the time included Love Story; Brewster McCloud; Woodstock, Tora! Tora! Tora!; Five Easy Pieces; Doctor’s Wives; The Wild Country. Top 20 records at the time include One Bad Apple: Knock Three Times; Amos Moses; Lonely Days; Your Song; Eighteen; She’s A Lady; What’s Going On. Local Auto Ads: p. 35 / p. 36 / p. 37 / p. 38 / p. 39 / p. 40 / p. 41.
VALENTINE’S DAY 1976 / Queen – “A Night at the Opera” at Public Hall /
Five years later, Jane Scott wrote in The Plain Dealer on Monday, February 16, 1976, “The British quartet exploded onto the stage and with puffs of smoke and kept up an incredible intensity for two hours, ” as Freddie Mercury and Queen brought ‘A Night at the Opera,’ to a packed Valentine’s Day house at Cleveland’s Public Hall. Jane also noted, “There’s now no doubt. Queen is super-king.” The Cate Bothers, “a nice quartet, playing some nice white soul,” opened the show ($5.50-$6.50). / (Queen profile – Queen/Belkin ad – Queen review).
Movies at the time included One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest: Jaws; The Happy Hooker; Dog Day Afternoon; Hester Street; Hindenburg; Young Frankenstein; Airport 1975; Earthquake. LPs on sale at the time included The Best of Carly Simon; ‘Siren’ Roxy Music; ‘One of These Nights’ Eagles; ‘Prisoner in Disguise’ Linda Ronstadt; ‘Brain Salad Surgery’ Emerson, Lake & Palmer; ‘Hotline’ J. Geils; ‘Yesterdays’ Yes. ($3.99 @ Melody Lane, Music Grotto – see Sale ad). Local Auto Ads: p. 37 / p. 38 / p. 39 / p. 40 / p. 41 / p. 42 / p. 43 / p. 44. / Arby’s AD.
HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY! George
