Pop Chronicles

The Pop Chronicles are two radio documentary series which together "may constitute the most complete audio history of 1940s–60s popular music."[2] They originally aired starting in 1969 and concluded about 1974. Both were produced by John Gilliland.

The Pop Chronicles

"The 'Pop Chronicles' Team" circa 1970.[1] From left to right are John Gilliland, Mike Dorrough, Sie Holliday, Chester Coleman, and Thom Beck.
Home station	KRLA
Syndicates	Armed Forces Radio
Created by	John Gilliland
Produced by	Chester Coleman
Narrated by	John Gilliland, Sie Holliday, Thom Beck
Original release	1969 – c. 1970
No. of episodes	55
Other themes	The Chronicles of Pop by Len Chandler
Website	The John Gilliland Collection

The Pop Chronicles of the 1950s and 1960s

Inspired by the Monterey Pop Festival,[3] the Pop Chronicles of the 1950s and 1960s originally was produced at KRLA 1110 and first aired on February 9, 1969.[4] John Gilliland narrated the series along with Sie Holliday and Thom Beck (pictured).[5] Also performing interviews were Dick LaPalm, Lew Irwin, Harry Shearer, Mike Masterson, and Richard Perry.[6] The show's brief recurring theme song “The Chronicles of Pop” was written and performed by Len Chandler.[7] The engineer and associate producer of the series was Chester Coleman.[8][9][10]

KRLA 1110 originally broadcast an hour a week of the Pop Chronicles,[8] which were later syndicated[1][11] by "Hot Air"[12] and broadcast on Armed Forces Radio.[13] The photo above indicates that it was broadcast on KABC-FM sometime before that station became KLOS.

The University of North Texas Music Library made the Pop Chronicles available online[3][14] since June 2010.[15]

The Pop Chronicles of the 1940s

Pop Chronicles the 40s

Cover of the audiobook version
Home station	KSFO
Syndicates	AFRTS
Created by	John Gilliland
Narrated by	John Gilliland
Original release	1972 – c. 1974
No. of episodes	24
Website	The Pop Chronicles Of The 1940s

The Pop Chronicles of the 1940s was produced by John Gilliland and broadcast on KSFO (AM) while he worked there beginning in 1972[11][16][17] for a total of 24 episodes.[18] To promote the show, KSFO "had a 40's month celebration with a dance remote and a jitterbug contest at Union Square."[19] Allan M. Newman of KSFO said of the show that Gilliland, "interviewed damn near everybody involved during those years. such as Bing Crosby, Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Mercer, Patty Andrews, Tex Beneke, etc. ... I think John has put together a true collector's item."[20]

This was also syndicated by Doug Andrews[19][20] and broadcast on AFRTS.[21] In 1973 MCA Records used the show to sell a nine-album set of music from the show,[22] so the show could be offered for free to radio stations.[23] But in 1974, RCA negotiated for the rights to the show.[24]

In 1994, Gilliland released an edited version as the four cassette audiobook Pop Chronicles the 40's: The Lively Story of Pop Music in the 40's.[25][26] This was later rereleased as The Big Band Chronicles.[27][28]

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.[2][18]

See also

• The History of Rock and Roll – Radio documentary about rock and roll music.

References

Print sources

• Gilliland, John (1997). "On Chronicling Pop". In Barrett, Don (ed.). Los Angeles radio people: Volume 2, 1957-1997. Valencia, CA: Db Marketing. ISBN 978-0-9658907-0-0. OCLC 38994418.(The pages in this book are not numbered, but Gilliland's essay is located between the E and F entries.)

Notes

1. "Billboard - Google Books". September 26, 1970. Retrieved January 4, 2011. Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
2. "ARSC Conference 2008 - Session Abstracts" (PDF). Retrieved July 13, 2009.
3. Gilliland, John (1969). "Explore the holdings of UNT Music Library" (audio). Pop Chronicles. University of North Texas Libraries.
4. "CLASSIC DJ & RADIO SCRAPBOOK: KRLA POP CHRONICLES Program, 1969 (1 of 2)". Classicdjradioscrapbook.blogspot.com. Retrieved July 13, 2009.
5. "Los Angeles Radio People, Where Are They Now, G". Laradio.com. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
6. "Index to Interviews — University of North Texas Libraries". Library.unt.edu. July 24, 2008. Archived from the original on June 3, 2009. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
7. "Index to "Pop Chronicles" — University of North Texas Libraries". Library.unt.edu. July 24, 2008. Archived from the original on June 17, 2008. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
8. • Hopkins, Jerry (October 4, 1969). "'Pop Chronicles' Chronicle Pop". Rolling Stone (43). p. 34. Chester Coleman, engineer and associate producer
9. "CLASSIC DJ & RADIO SCRAPBOOK: KRLA POP CHRONICLES Program, 1969 (2 of 2)". Classicdjradioscrapbook.blogspot.com. Retrieved July 13, 2009.
10. Jim Carnegie (March 21, 2006). "RBR epaper, Volume 23, Issue 56". rbr.com. Lake Ridge, VA: Radio Business Report. Retrieved June 12, 2020. Chester Coleman, who was both a station owner and media broker passed away last Friday in San Francisco
11. MacKenzie, Bob (October 29, 1972). "Radio Returns to the '40s" (PDF). Oakland Tribune. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 9, 2012.
12. https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC/BC-1969/1969-04-07-BC.pdf
13. Gilliland, John (August 18, 2008). Pop chronicles. 36 (RU 11-1 [Sept. 1970]) [WorldCat.org]. [WorldCat.org]. OCLC 50111827.
14. "The Pop Chronicles Of The 50s And 60s". www.radioechoes.com. 1969. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
15. "Statistics: John Gilliland's Pop Chronicles UNT Digital Library". Digital.library.unt.edu. Retrieved July 24, 2013.
16. "The Pop Chronicles Of The 1940s". RadioEchoes. October 29, 1972.
17. "John Gilliland - Pop Chronicles: The Forties". bayarearadio.org. Archived from the original on February 1, 2009. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
18. "John Gilliland Collection, 1955-1991 | Music Library". Findingaids.library.unt.edu. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
19. "12-Hour Special Spots Forties' Music & Events". January 13, 1973. Retrieved January 4, 2011. Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
20. Syndication: An Explosion
21. Gilliland, John (August 18, 2008). Pop chronicles of the 40's. 1 (RU 14-76 [Apr. 1976]) [WorldCat.org]. [WorldCat.org]. OCLC 50311556.
22. Syndicated Air Show Sells LP's
23. John Gilliland's the Pop Chronicles presents the 40's free
24. Radio Show Set To Test Oldies
25. Gilliland, John (August 18, 2008). Pop chronicles. Worldcat.org. OCLC 31611854.
26. Gilliland, John (1994). Pop Chronicles the 40s: The Lively Story of Pop Music in the 40s (audiobook). ISBN 978-1-55935-147-8. OCLC 31611854.
27. Ruhlmann, William. The Big Band Chronicles at AllMusic. Retrieved 2009-08-03.
28. The big band chronicles. Worldcat.org. OCLC 38555138.

External links

• The Pop Chronicles audio at the University of North Texas Music Library
• "The Pop Chronicles Presents The Forties". Bay Area Radio Museum. November 5, 1972. Archived from the original on August 1, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
• "Index to Interviews at the John Gilliland Collection". The University of North Texas Music Library. Archived from the original on June 3, 2009.
• 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 Collections conference presentation by Andrew Justice and Jonathan Thorn (audio & slides).