Anybody else here attend the old Murray the K shows at the Brooklyn Fox Theater?

[brooklynboy49]

I was really young, like 11 years old, but I attended these shows every chance I got. Saw acts like the Shirelles (the gold standard of the girl groups against whom all other girl groups were measured), the Shangri-las, Jerry Butler, all of the great acts of the pre-Beatles era. These shows featured "oldies" like The Platters and The Coasters. But my faves were "Murray the K's Dancing Girls", who sang a little ditty called Be My Baby and went on to call themselves The Ronettes. They handed out free LPs to listen to while watching the submarine races. Ah, those were the days. Mantle v. Mays v. Snider. Nathan's French fries. Listening to the weekly countdown of the Top 10 on your transistor radio to see if the 4 Seasons were gonna be unseated from their seemingly endless run of #1 hits. And they were. By Paul & Paula. YUCK! My fondest memory of my childhood has to be taking the subway up to the Bronx to see the Yanks and my idol, the Mick, play ball. I fought to the death anyone who said Mays or Snider was the better centerfielder. Nothing will ever change my love for the Mick. But I have come to realize that, not only was Willie the best CFer in NY, when you talk about the best players to ever play the game, Willie Mays has to be part of the discussion. And I never got to see him play (except on TV, of course).

[elleng]

1. No, but listened to him on the radio!

and never took the subway to the Bronx to see THOSE guys, but did take it to get to my summer job. (Dad had a little travel agency on the Grand Concourse, so while he was downtown being a lawyer, I was playing travel agent!)

AND took LIRR to Shea to see the METS (after the great sorrow of Dem Bums moving OUT THERE! )

[brooklynboy49]

4. The ultimate anti-corporatist (me) and my Yankee fandom

It's not easy being a Yankee fan when the organization represents everything I abhor in our socio-economic-political system. I grew up a Yankees fan and will die a Yankees fan. I just go into denial when I think of how they (the organization, not the players) represent everything I abhor, especially the last ten years or so. The launching of the YES network, the building of that monstrous monument to greed, the "new" Yankee Stadium, signing after signing of star name ballplayers to big money contracts. I just look the other way, I compartmentalize it and just focus on and watch the baseball. I realize that may make me a bit of a hypocrite, but I've been a Yankee fan for over 50 years, I'm too far gone, I'm beyond hope lol. Oh, yeah, let's not forget Steinbrenner and his love affair with Tricky Dick and his illegal campaign contributions. Like I said, I just ignore the repulsive stuff and focus on the players and the game. Which isn't always easy.

[elleng]

5. I used to say that rooting for the Yankees

is like rooting for A T & T!!!

And I'm STILL a BROOKLYN Dodger's fan!

[ailsagirl]

2. I'd heard of him-- esp. in relation to the Beatles

I'm on the West Coast so I can't share in your East Coast reminiscences... but they sound fun.

[brooklynboy49]

3. The 5th Beatle

That's how Murray the K later came to be known

[ailsagirl]

6. Yes-- that's right!

Certainly a shrewd way to get noticed back then!