Groovy Tunes From The Boob Tube

By Rob Christopher in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 13, 2011 3:00PM

If your knowledge of pre-MTV music television is limited to late night Time Life infomercials, or even if it isn't, an upcoming program at The Nightingale is sure to be an eye-opening experience.

The 1960's were a heady time for pop music. The charts had room for all kinds of music (indeed, it's hard to imagine anything comparable to Louis Armstrong knocking The Beatles off the #1 spot happening today.) The Big Three networks all had their own music shows to spotlight the hits, and that's where "Music on TV," a program curated by Jeff Martin & Carolyn Faber, begins. In addition to featuring an insanely catchy theme song, ABC's Shindig! hosted many top acts, some of which will be included in the Nightingale's show.

As the 1970's dawned, various regional and syndicated shows started booking talent that the big networks were ignoring. The Nightingale's program will feature a motley assortment, such as "a right-wing singing group performing 'Crystal Blue Persuasion' on a show called America’s Young Majority, and local shows including Startime, a Knoxville show sponsored by a mobile-home company that featured Tennessee’s version of the Partridge Family singing “Funk #49”—not to mention Chicago’s own Kiddie A Go-Go."

Music on TV: An Outsider's History, 1965-1975 is on July 22, at The Nightingale, 1084 N Milwaukee, 8 p.m., $5-7