Denver-area Thrifting Unearths Rare "Wings of Destiny" Record

Hey all!

So earlier this month I was out record digging around Denver (what else is new?). I walked into a store, and immediately noticed a box of dusty 78rpm discs. The clerk said they had just come in, a few minutes before I arrived.

While I didn't find any Colorado additions to the collection, in amongst the typical 1940s Big Band and Bing Crosby records, I spotted two (very trashed) 12" Presto acetates marked "KGHL Billings Montana" and "Richardson Plane Presentation." I didn't hesitate to purchase the unknown recordings ($.25 each).

When I got home, I cleaned the records as best I could, grabbed my Numark, and gave them a listen. The audio quality was still atrocious, but from what I could tell, it sounded like a radio station remote news report, out at an airport.

The record starts off with an in-studio host named Brian Robershon (?) introducing reporter Ed Yocum, who was broadcasting from Billings Municipal Airport. The station was covering the arrival of a 65 horsepower Continental Piper Cub airplane. I didn't understand what all of the hoopla was about, until it was revealed that the plane was the weekly grand prize of the "Wings of Destiny" national radio program.

 Sponsored by the Brown and Williamson tobacco corporation, makers of Wing cigarettes, "Wings of Destiny" debuted on October 11, 1940.  It featured courageous pilot, Steve Benton, his amiable mechanic, Brooklyn, and his girlfriend, Peggy Banning. According to a Variety article I found, the show was "Aimed at an air-minded generation, young enough to see only the excitement, old enough to smoke."

But it wasn't Steve Benton's adventures that kept audiences glued to the radio. Up until then, aviation radio programs usually gave away wings and badges, but only "Wings of Destiny" gave away actual airplanes. The contest rules were geared toward an older winner. In order to win the plane, a contestant had to send in 10 empty Wing cigarette packs, and write an essay.

The winner featured on the record, Fen Richardson (the "Richardson" noted on the record label), was a Ford dealer in Lovell, Wyoming, 90 miles from Billings. According to the record, this was the 53rd plane giveaway for the program. The record contained an interview with a Piper spokesperson (couldn't identify his name) who proudly noted that this was the first Continental model to be given away. The winner also received eight hours of solo course instruction.

Billings mayor Charlie T. Trott presented the plane to Richardson, who said he planned to keep it, and would be taking flying lessons.

Listen to a sample of the record (1:43)  

From what I can tell, this is the only known recording of a "Wings of Destiny" radio program winner receiving an airplane. It's an incredible find.

As for the "Wings of Destiny" radio show?

Flying Magazine December 1941

(the last advertisement promoting the Wings of Destiny show and the plane giveaway)

When Pearl Harbor was attacked, and the declaration of war was announced, in December 1941, all airplane manufacturers, including the Piper plant, began producing aircraft only for the military.  On December 26, 1941,  Brown & Williamson issued a press release stating that the 63rd and last Piper Cub would be given away that very day.  The show ended February 6, 1942.

Denver-area Thrifting Unearths Rare Alaska Garage Band Demo!

Going to post a non-Colorado vinyl find, only because, well because it's such a cool story....

So I'm digging at the Littleton ARC Thrift, yesterday, when I spotted this large bag of Audiodisc records.

I love finding these, as you never know what might be on these often-unlabeled, homemade recordings. More times than I can count, it's usually some sermon, or an off-key opera singer, but for $3.99 for the whole batch, I thought I would take a chance.

When I got home, I noticed one of the labels indicated they were from Alaska.

I spent the better part of the day discovering dubs of previously-recorded Blood Sweat & Tears, Major Lance records, and a few other cuts I couldn't make out. There were some Anchorage radio commercials, and even some jingles for Buffalo, New York and Toronto radio stations. Truly an odd mix of audio.

Then I got to the very last song, on the record pictured below - an incredibly beautiful, raw teen garage band, sound I had never heard before. Jaw drop doesn't begin to describe my reaction to hearing this gem.

Listen
(YouTube video - 2:12)

Because I am up for a challenge, I immediately hit the Internet, trying to find anything on this song. I tried lyric searches, and Google'd Anchorage garage bands - nothing. So I hit Facebook, to see if there was a group dedicated to Alaska-produced records (surely there are folks in other states, as obsessed about state music history as I?)

I hit pay dirt on the invaluable Anchorage Memories page, where group members thought it might be a band called the Heartbeats (also known as the Pulsating Heartbeats). I was directed to this fantastic interview by Michael R. Dougherty, with band member  Raphael (John) Apostol, the group's guitarist and singer.

Thankfully, there was a link to audio of the band's single "Anne."

I thought they were similar enough to track down Raphael, in Anchorage, and play this recently-discovered song.

"Yes, that's a demo of our song, 'Wait Till Then.' I think we recorded that in 1968."

I wish there were an "Oh my God, I'm freaking out right now" emoji. Yeah, it was one of those moments.

"The demo was probably recorded at somebody's house, in Anchorage. I really don't remember."

The song would go on to the B-side of the group's single, "Run Around Kind," recorded in a San Francisco studio, and released on the Golden Gate label (the group also changed its name to the Hartbeet Band). With this new information, I then tracked down the studio single version of "Wait Till Then."

Hear the studio single version of "Wait 'Till Then" 

(YouTube video - 2:26)

"I didn't really write 'Wait Till Then' for any girl, in particular. It was just one of those when you fall for someone, and they leave, and you are waiting for them to come back, songs."

 According to Raphael, only a handful of "Run Around Kind" / "Wait Till Then" were produced.

"They sold out in Anchorage, and we didn't make anymore," he said.

The group hung around the Bay Area, trying to make it big, but quickly came back home to Alaska, where they were the opening act for The Grassroots, Sam the Sham and The Pharaohs, The Seeds, and The First Edition (you can read more in that Michael R. Dougherty interview link). They broke up in 1968. (SIDE NOTE: Skip Conte [I've seen it also spelled Konte], who was the keyboardist for the band, later joined Blues Image and co-wrote their big hit "Ride Captain Ride." After the band broke up, he joined Three Dog Night).

The band's first single, "Talkin' About You," would later be re-released on the Back from the Grave CD series (Volume 8), and "Anne" would show up on the Grains of Time CD series, and the Last of the Garage Punk Unknowns CD series (Volume 7&8). It has booked, on Popsike, for over $1,000 (the most recent record of a copy selling, in 2018, was a still-impressive $644).