Gloria Stavers!

Ralph J. Gleason writes to "You're Telling Me" (January '67)

 
Gloria Stavers never underestimated her readers' ability to appreciate all types of music, and her record raves just as often included artists such as John Coltrane, Tim Buckley or Nina Simone as they did Top 40 stars. Thus the kudos from Ralph J. Gleason, the legendary writer and editor who was elevating jazz and pop criticism to the same level as that of classical music. Ten months after this letter was published in 16, Gleason helped his young colleague Jann Wenner launch Rolling Stone magazine, where he remained a major contributor until his death in 1975.  He is still listed each month on the masthead of Rolling Stone.

 

GeeGee Recommends!! (December '65)

"Mike Clifford switched to Cameo-Parkway, and his first single with them is Before I Loved Her ... Danny Hutton signed with Hanna-Barbera, and Roses and Rainbows is his first ... The Rascals (a sensational new group) have been signed to Atlantic ...GeeGee recommended LPs this issue are Billy Joe Royal's Down In The Boondocks on Columbia; Cher's exciting solo LP, All I Really Want To Do, on Imperial; Do You Believe In Magic by the Lovin' Spoonful on Kama-Sutra; Moody Blues' Go Now on London; Barry McGuire's Eve Of Destruction on Dunhill; Looking Through The Eyes Of Love by Gene Pitney on Musicor; The Highwaymen On A New Road on ABC-Paramount; Tom Jones' What's New Pussycat (includes With These Hands) on Parrot; Dave Clark 5's Having A Wild Weekend on Epic; My Little Red Book Of Winners by Manfred Mann on U-A; Animal Tracks on MGM; for straight folk folks, Mimi (she's Joan Baez's sister) and Richard Farina's Celebration For A Grey Day on Vanguard; for jazz buff's Miles Davis' E.S.P. on Columbia; and for "soul city" sounds from the greatest, Freedom Highway by the Staple Singers on Epic."

 

"Broadway Joe" Namath's note to Gloria Stavers

 

Who was cooler than Joe Namath in 1970?  After making good on his guarantee of a New York Jets victory over the NFL's heavily-favored Baltimore Colts, he was not only the toast of the town in Manhattan, but football's first media superstar.  Full length fur coat worn on the sidelines?  Check.  Unruly mop of hair and long sideburns?  Check.  Gorgeous woman on each arm? Check. Commercials? Movies? TV shows?  Check. Check. Check.

Like Gloria, Joe lived on the Upper East Side, where he also owned a bar called "Bachelors III."  Unfortunately for Namath, his entrepreneurial spirit was not condoned when it came to watering holes, and NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle forced him to sell his interest in the New York club.

Here Joe gets "creamed" by a pre-Charlie's Angels Farrah Fawcett in an early 70's classic Super Bowl commercial for Noxema.