50 years ago today made its debut: The Midnight Special

Lakota · 08-19-2022, 12:33pm

Friday night every week at Midnight. A fantastic program.

Aired as a special on 8-19-72, then began a run as a regular series on 2-2-1973, it's last episode was 5-1-81

Lakota · 08-19-2022, 12:34pm

The 70s were the best decade for music. Period.

The lineup that I came to know and enjoyed: Mick Fleetwood (drums/percussion), John McVie (bass), Christine McVie (keyboards/back vocals), Lindsay Buckingham (lead guitar/back vocals), and Stevie Nicks (vocals). The song about a Welsh witch came from their self-titled album which hit the record shelves way back in 1975, and was one of their biggest hits. Man, Stevie Nicks had some serious pipes! And the music was performed live on the Midnight Special by just those five band members, and nobody phoned it in. Kids, this is how music is played. Pay attention. This is live stuff.

Anjdog2003 · 08-19-2022, 12:55pm

But Peter Green was Fleetwood Mac.

Aerovette · 08-19-2022, 1:50pm

I remember watching the one with Aerosmith and Sha-na-na.

There used to be an informercial that sold MS videos.

I also watch Don Kirschner's Rock Concert.

Lakota · 08-19-2022, 2:24pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anjdog2003

But Peter Green was Fleetwood Mac.

Yes, Sir you are right.....1967–1970: Fleetwood Mac

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_..._Fleetwood_Mac

Mike Mercury · 08-19-2022, 2:31pm

from Wikipee:

Quote:

In 1972,producer Burt Sugarman pitched the program as a means for NBC to capitalize on The Tonight Show's large audience. At the time, none of the Big Three television networks had programming on after 1:00 am Eastern time, as common practice by most stations was to sign off after the final program. Despite a lack of competition in that timeslot, NBC initially rejected the idea. The rejection led Sugarman to buy the air time for the premiere on his own as a brokered show, convincing Chevrolet to become the show's first sponsor. It premiered with ratings high enough for NBC to reconsider its decision, and the network subsequently bought the program. NBC also reasoned that the additional weekly hour and a half of programming would allow NBC to recoup some revenue lost as a result of the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act, which banned the advertising of tobacco on television effective January 1, 1971. The program remained a part of NBC's late-night lineup until 1981.

The pilot for the series aired on August 19, 1972. It was presented as a 90-minute special encouraging young people to vote in the upcoming Presidential election. Several months later, on February 2, 1973, it premiered as a weekly series. Within eight months of its premiere, The Midnight Special had proven that programming in the later time period was viable, and NBC would expand its programming in the time slot to five days a week with the addition of the talk show Tomorrow, hosted by Tom Snyder, the other four nights.

The Midnight Special's original time slot was from 1:00–2:30 a.m. in the Eastern and Pacific time zones (Midnight to 1:30 a.m. Central and Mountain). When The Tonight Show's run time was shortened from ninety to sixty minutes in September 1980, The Midnight Special was moved to 12:30 a.m. (ET/PT)/11:30 p.m. (CT/MT), maintaining its 90-minute run time.

In 1978, at the height of the disco craze, the set was changed to resemble a disco nightclub complete with a platform dance floor. Wolfman Jack stood behind an elevated DJ booth.

ELO had more appearances than any other band with seven.