by Jerri Brooker
I learned a bit about Philadelphia in the 1950's when I discovered it was home to Dick Clark's "American Bandstand." At the time I was a pre-teen in a small town, and it seemed like a dreamy place to my young television-viewing, music-loving eyes and ears. I always yearned to be on "American Bandstand," the show teens adored, but I never was. As a matter of fact, I never made it to Philadelphia, the Music City. Then or now. But I see it clear as day. And I still think of Philadelphia as that place. So I'm touring Philadelphia on the Internet to see how far off I am in my unforgotten picture of the town that music loves.
"The Golden Era of Music," as touted by radio Internet site www.philaradio.com, still lives. Philadelphia station WIBG, according to statistics at this site, was the first "Top 40" 24-hour radio station in the nation and led the radio world at that time in what was cool to play. I listen now and remember.
I take an Internet tour of a popular bandstand site: American Bandstand. I see it just as I remember. Next I visit the Philadelphia Music Alliance site, reading a tribute to Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff; then I tour the Walk of Fame at the same site, viewing music greats who "took wing in Philly." Still rings true as a music city to this outsider on an inside track. My memory takes in a featured all-time-great duo, Hall and Oates. This is a music city for sure.
If I were in Philadelphia today I'd surely turn my baby-boomer ears to WGOL-FM, Oldies 98, to bring the 50's and 60's back to life. Only Philadelphia could do that right. I'm hopping with the Big Bopper and imagining myself in Philly, dancing to the tunes at American Bandstand once again, swooning over the Brylcream-slick heads of my imaginary partners.... Every Saturday. Then I take my tuned-up nostalgia to the Miscellaneous Music Site, "full of everything musical" about Philadelphia, and croon to some more music links just to be sure I got the full feel of this town, though I don't picture the scenery, just the music and dancing. I check out the events at Penn's Landing so I don't miss anything. The phillyfriends site takes you there and attempts to make you, the mind or body traveler, at home. I'm there.
I'm a small town western baby boomer, but through the Internet I'm transmogrified into a Philly city girl with all the amenities awaiting me in this famous musical town. I'm getting around just like I know what I'm doing on the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit (SEPTA) or the purple Philly Phlash with maps in hand from www.libertynet.org/mmp/maps , finding all the good places to go right here, right now on the Internet, in a wonderful musical big city...but also back there back then, in the 50's and 60's, when I was dancing away to "American Bandstand" and living the Philly experience at a far-off place in Washington State.
I like it here. I think I'll stay.
Jerri Brooker
